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September 5, 2008
Water, Water... But Not Everywhere
Photo by Tyler S Andrews via LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
The forecast for California for the coming months is drought--no surprises here. In fact, it's going to be the "the fourth driest year in the last 114 years," according to KNBC.com, and we're expected to have "below-average rainfall for the third year in a row." So the Department of Water Resources is trying to get resourceful by setting up a program for growers and cities in the Southern part of the state to purchase water from farmers and water agencies located to the North, mostly in the Sacramento Valley area.
It's called a "water bank"--"designed to throw a lifeline to California agriculture where farmers have lost $260 million this year." It's described as "giant distribution system [that] would actually move water and theoretically make it available to the driest areas of the state. The department will act as a middleman water broker to keep SoCal's sidewalks and fountains that spray in time to Dean Martin songs wet (oh and things growing, too) during the dry winter months.
So how's that working out so far? According to abc7.com, perhaps not so hot: "The department said there are many interested buyers, but not many sellers." Whoops. Guess you gotta have extra water to sell for someone to buy it.
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The Ag water bank points out the larger water supply management issues in California. The days of “drought” are over. California has entered a time of increasing water scarcity due to climate change, growth, ecosystem collapse, and water rights disputes. Clearly, state leadership needs to make the development of a comprehensive sustainable water management plan an urgent priority.
Everyone needs to do their part. Mandatory statewide water metering and conservation requirements that apply to both urban and agricultural areas are critical. Also needed are new and redevelopment and road construction requirements using Low Impact Development principles to capture and infiltrate runoff into underlying groundwater. In addition, water recycling has to be a major part of California’s sustainable water future. To that end, the water supply industry, wastewater treatment industry, water recyclers and environmental community just finished negotiating a comprehensive water recycling policy for the state.(http://spoutingoff.wordpress.com/2008/09/02/a-clear-mandate/).
As president of Heal the Bay, I hope that the State Water Board approves the policy as quickly as possible and it is used by California leadership as a springboard to move the state to a more sustainable water future.
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ah yes, Rime of the Ancient Mariner.