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Issue # 019:

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New Water Events

1. Clean Water Act faces legal challenge
2. Emergency crews getting water pipe calls
3. Capillary Irrigation System for Landscape and Turf
4. Vancouver residents told to boil water.

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1. Clean Water Act faces legal challenge

CropLife America (CLA) and Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment (RISE) have filed a legal challenge seeking to broaden the scope of the recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) final rule that clarifies when pesticides can be applied without first obtaining a Clean Water Act (CWA) permit.

The association was joined in its efforts by crop protection companies and allied agricultural associations including BASF, FMC, Syngenta, Bayer CropScience, Delta Council, Cotton Council, Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association, Agribusiness Association of Iowa and Southern Crop Production Association, all of which are challenging the rule.

“The EPA rule, while a step in the right direction, only applies to aquatic uses and forest canopy applications of pesticides,” said Jay Vroom, president and CEO of CropLife America. “Our challenge to the EPA is to expand the rule to all pesticides, including production agricultural uses of beneficial crop protection products and other essential uses of pesticides.”

“Broadening the rule would provide needed assurance to farmers and ranchers who follow the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) in applying pesticides that they will not need a CWA permit,” Vroom added.

CLA has maintained that FIFRA – the primary law governing the application of pesticides -effectively regulates pesticide applications on, over and near “waters of the U.S.” Further, CLA takes the position that FIFRA regulation is sufficient to ensure the safety of all pesticide uses, not just those subject to EPA’s new rule. Labeling requirements under FIFRA are imposed to protect human health and the environment. This position was supported by others in the agricultural community and by public health officials in the two rounds of public comments solicited by the EPA on this issue.

An additional factor behind the CLA challenge is that, if followed, EPA’s final rule would only remove a portion of the Clean Water Act’s ambiguity regarding the scope of NPDES permitting requirements, leaving a wide gray area concerning most activities.

CLA will proceed through the appropriate judicial channels to continue to represent the interest of growers and commodity groups.

Source: westernfarmpress.com

http://www.landscapeonline.com/research/article/8333

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2. Emergency crews getting water pipe calls

The overnight sub-freezing temperatures that have plagued the valley since Thursday are expected to continue through the end of the week according to the National Weather Service.

Nighttime temperatures will continue to be in the teens and 20s until Thursday when they will begin to rise but will not get above freezing. Daytime temperatures will be warmer with highs in the mid-50s in the valley.

Tuesday will bring a slight chance of rain but the snow level is expected to remain above 3,500 feet.

The low overnight temperatures caused pipes to freeze up and down the valley over the weekend. Thawing pipes have broken flooding houses and prompting fire department response as broken fire sprinklers set off fire alarms.

According to police and fire daily logs, officials received 35 reports of broken sprinklers and water pipes on Saturday and Sunday and numerous others for no water.

Ukiah Fire Department Capt. Pete Bushby said the UFD firefighters and Ukiah Public Utilities officials responded to 57 calls for service on Saturday and additional calls on Sunday.

The Ukiah Valley Fire District Capt. Jay Beristianos said UVFD firefighters responded to 22 calls of broken pipes over the weekend as well as several on Monday, including a broken valve on water pipes at the Hillside Medical Center on Laws Avenue.

Bushby said the fire department helped several homeowners clean-up from broken pipes over the weekend. If the water is not creating an emergency situation

Bushby said people are encouraged to shut off the water and call public utilities instead of emergency services.

Most of the calls this weekend were referred to on-call utilities personnel, but when sprinklers break they can set off fire alarms that firefighters have to respond to.

"If it's a fire alarm, we go," Bushby said.

The leaks are caused by cracks that occur when the water freezes and expands. Leaks are often not noticed until the sun hits the pipes and the temperature rises, causing the pipes to thaw.

The California Office of Emergency Services, which issued a freezing-temperature warning and is advising people to take precautions to defend themselves from the cold.

"The National Weather Service indicates that many areas of California will continue to experience very cold temperatures throughout early next week," said OES Director Henry Renteria. "I urge Californians to make their personnel safety and that of their family and neighbors their number-one priority."

On Friday, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed a state of emergency that covered all of California's 58 counties and is working closely with county emergency managers to make sure the state is prepared to support local agencies in the event of an emergency.

"The safety of Californian's remains are utmost concern," Rentria said. "We will continue to monitor the weather and maintain close contact with local emergency managers, so we can address any request for assistance immediately."
3. Capillary Irrigation System for Landscape and Turf
The System Is Installed Today and Played On Tomorrow
Eliminate Vandalism, Reduce Injury and Lower Maintenance Costs

And Use 80% Less Water than Sprinklers..........

http://kisssusa.com/commercial/landscape_turf/index.htm

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3. Capillary Irrigation System for Landscape and Turf

Capillary Irrigation System for Landscape and Turf
The System Is Installed Today and Played On Tomorrow
Eliminate Vandalism, Reduce Injury and Lower Maintenance Costs

And Use 80% Less Water than Sprinklers..........

http://kisssusa.com/commercial/landscape_turf/index.htm

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4. Vancouver residents told to boil water.

The entire Greater Vancouver area was put under a boil-water advisory Thursday after the brutal storm that slammed into the B.C. coast a day earlier and left the tapwater looking like weak tea.

The storm stirred up the three local water reservoirs and overwhelmed the treatment system, which serves more than two million people in Canada's third-largest urban area. The local medical health officer advised that tapwater not be used even for washing vegetables. …

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=0b502e59-ecc2-421f-a89b-4d0192fb5407&k=88419

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Thanks for reading! If you have suggestions or ideas for articles send them along.

Lorne Haveruk C.I.D., C.I.C., C.L.I.A
Editor, H20 News
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