NO TO CANAL: The Lathrop City Council passed a resolution this week opposing a peripheral canal in the Delta, amidst concerns that it would increase flood hazards and wreak havoc on farmland. A committee formed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has raised the canal as a way to sustain the Delta.

LATHROP — The City Council on Tuesday, April 15 adopted a law prohibiting one type of water-softening appliances; formally opposed the development of a peripheral Delta canal; and hired a hearing officer for an appeal by a fired city employee.

All votes were 3-0, with Vice Mayor Sonny Dhaliwal absent. There remains one vacant council seat.

Water softeners banned

Self-generating water softeners will be banned under a new law, in an effort to meet state health and safety requirements.

The City of Lathrop has been unable to meet state standards that regulate the amount of total dissolved solids, such as salt, in its wastewater, according to a staff report. The new law attempts to bring the levels up to snuff.

The newly banned self-generating water softeners use a salt-brine solution to remove hardness from water. “Hard” water is high in minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, and causes build-up on fixtures.

The new law will take effect May 15.

City opposes peripheral canal

The City Council has formally opposed the development of a peripheral canal or other "water conveyance facility" in the Delta, citing concerns that the proposed projects would eat up farmland and increase flood danger.

The Delta Vision Committee, a group formed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneggar, may propose a new manmade waterway that would transport water from the Sacramento River to southern California while bypassing the Delta.

The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors took a stance against the canal last September, and has asked cities in the region to do the same.

In addition to damaging farmland and increasing flood hazards, the canal would adversely affect water rights within the county and endanger water quality, the Board of Supervisors argued in a Sept. 27 letter.

City preps for appeal

The city has hired attorney Thomas M. Brown of law firm Hanson Bridgett LLP to handle an appeal filed by former Chief Building Official Matt Browne, who was fired for undisclosed reasons in February after seven months of paid leave.

For $325 per hour, the attorney will conduct a hearing, review documents and conduct interviews regarding Browne’s termination, and eventually decide whether the firing was justified.