It was a busy day here at Central Basin, starting with a 9am Ratepayer Protection Meeting where residents from the City of Bell returned to the District’s office after seeking out our help two weeks ago, to discuss their concerns about Golden State Water Company’s high rates. Joining them were Central Basin’s Board President and Vice President, General Manager, several senior managers and the District’s government representative and legal counsel, who committed to helping the residents find pro-bono representation to take on their case. A few key takeaways from today’s meeting after the jump:

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For the Record

September 29, 2011

Central Basin: An article in the Sept. 14 LATExtra section about Google News delisting a website that had published stories “written in the image of real news” paid for by the Central Basin Municipal Water District incorrectly stated that the agency contracted with the website, NewsHawksReview.com, to create the promotional stories.

The agency contracted with a public relations consultant, Coghlan Consulting Group, for the stories and other public relations efforts. Also, the article misstated that the agency paid the consultant nearly $200,000 under the contract. While the district approved paying that amount, it has paid only $70,000 so far, according to public records.

The online and print headlines for the article also incorrectly said that the consultant created the website to tout the water agency and that it was financed by the agency. Although consultant Ed Coghlan stated that News Hawks Review was a part of his company and he was listed as a reporter on the website, he did not create the site for the agency and it was not directly financed by the agency.

September 14, 2011

RE: “Water district taps Google for good coverage,” and “Google News cuts link to news website,” Sept. 13 and 14

Dear Editor:

While Central Basin Municipal Water District always appreciates coverage from a respected news source, we prefer it when they actually get their facts right.

Recent stories written by Sam Allen were shoddy in their reporting, had immense factual errors, and misrepresented information that led readers to gain an inaccurate portrayal of the Water District and its intent.

CBMWD does not “finance” the online news site News Hawks Review. CBMWD doesn’t even have a contract with this organization.

CBMWD has not paid News Hawks $200,000 to publish news about our programs.  We do have a contract with a writer who provides content for press releases, our website and for advertorials, which occasionally includes purchasing space online and in publications like the LA Times.  We have paid him $70,000 for work he has provided over the last 10 months.  Both the contract and the rate is an industry standard and entirely appropriate. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo courtesy of the New York Times

Good news for California environmentalists and water conservation DIYers: AB 849, (Gatto, D-Los Angeles) which would prevent cities from banning gray water systems at homes and businesses, (the capturing of “wash water” or “drain water” for irrigation and other, non-potable purposes…read more about them here)  has just passed out of the state Senate.

In recent years, the construction of homemade gray water systems has been a point of mild controversy across California as municipalities have raised concerns regarding the health, sanitation and in some case, the aesthetics, of these homemade systems.

As reported by the LA Times today, big strides were made for the state’s graywater proponents as the bill has finally made its way to the Governor’s desk for signature. While we wait to see if it will be signed into law, check out some cool videos on this topic after the jump:

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Delta Smelt - who knew such a tiny fish could create such big problems

In more Bay-Delta News: Yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Oliver Wanger blocked an effort led by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to have an estimated 300,000 acre-feet of water released from the State Water Project to protect the Delta Smelt. The measure is known as “x2″ and according to Judge Wanger’s 140-page ruling, it would have “wreaked havoc” on the state’s water supply and impair our ability to store the surplus water for future use. Read the entire ruling here, or read the recent news coverage here and here. In related news: Judge Wanger announced yesterday his plans to retire in one month. According to the Fresno Bee, due to his senior status, Judge Wanger’s position won’t be filled.  See the full story here.

At last week’s Central MWD Caucus, Roger Patterson, Assistant General Manager of the Metropolitan Water District, joined us to provide some insights into the state of the Bay Delta. For those of you who couldn’t make our monthly meeting, a recap of the 4 biggest issues, (can we say earthquake?)  and what state agencies are doing about it, is after the jump. Also, don’t forget to check out our 2 minute interview with Roger Patterson after the meeting.

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