A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
July 9, 2007
2. Supply
BAY AREA WATER CONSERVATION:
Conserving water for the future - Inside Bay Area
LANDSCAPING:
In the garden of dry delights - Los Angeles Daily News
Dry winter means low water levels - Lake Tahoe Tribune
Water use reduction goal nears - Ukiah Daily Journal
DESALINATION:
Seawater plant plan rejected a 4th time; Coastal panel's staff has more questions - San Diego Union Tribune
DEVELOPMENT:
Builder looks for new way for water; Sun Cal explores ideas to supply Bethel Island's biggest housing project - Contra Costa Times
RUSSIAN RIVER SUPPLY:
Editorial: Drip, drip; As restrictions increase, local water supply is being reduced -
WATER TRANSFERS:
Letters to the Editors: Don't fear studies — or transfers - Modesto Bee
GLOBAL WATER ISSUES:
Guest Opinion: We're running out of water - San Francisco Chronicle
BAY AREA WATER CONSERVATION:
Conserving water for the future
Inside Bay Area – 7/8/07
By Julia Scott, staff writer
HALF MOON BAY- Water conservation is always on farmer John Muller's mind, partly because he knows he won't have endless access to it — and neither will Bay Area residents.
They will be forced to use less, because the Sierra snowpack is melting at an unprecedented rate due to global warming — so quickly, in fact, that half the seasonal snowpack that nourishes the Bay Area may be gone by 2090.
Coastside farmers get most of their water from local creeks and wells, so they know how scarce it can get when the water level goes down.
That's why Muller began installing a drip irrigation system to water his 6-acre pumpkin farm five years ago.
Muller has reduced his water use 90 percent — from 300,000 gallons per acre to 30,000 — by giving his plants just enough water.
"It is a tremendous water savings," said Muller. "It's a matter of economics. The more we conserve, the better off we are."
Coastside farmers always know where their water is coming from, what it costs and how much of it is available.
Unfortunately, the general public isn't quite so aware of their water use.
"I would imagine that very few people think about water every day when they're brushing their teeth.
"For us, it's a matter of brushing our teeth or watering our crops," Muller said. "No one really gets after it until there's none available — that's the problem."
That time may come a lot sooner than most people expect. Reports that the water content of the Sierra snowpack had fallen to less than half of normal got the public's attention in April — and had water districts asking consumers to cut down on water use through an exceptionally dry summer.
The Bay Area's population is on a growth trend that will see customers demanding 19 percent more water by 2030 than they do today, according to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. And statewide, estimates show urban water demand could increase by as much as 5.8 million acre-feet by 2030, which may not even be possible to satisfy.
The first instinct may be to scramble for new water sources or spend money on expensive schemes like ocean desalination plants. But the most practical way to cope will be to get in the habit of conserving water as never before, said Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute, an Oakland-based think tank.
"We aren't going to run out of potable water in the Bay Area. It's going to get more expensive, and farmers are going to have a harder and harder time, because they use most of it," Gleick said. "There are a lot of different ways we use water, and a lot of them could be more efficient."
Dr. Noah Knowles of the U.S. Geological Survey studies the influence of climate on
"We saw that even a moderate increase of temperature causes us to lose half our snowpack," said Knowles, whose studies concur with those of other hydrologists. "The models indicate that the changes have been occurring since the 1970s."
Scientists say warmer temperatures cause precipitation to fall as rain instead of snow, decreasing the amount of snow buildup up on the mountains in winter. Snowmelt also has come earlier in the year, making it harder to refill reservoirs in the dry season.
This compromises the role of the high Sierra as a natural reservoir, which naturally holds snowpack in the mountains until later in the year when we need it.
"Whatever snowpack does stick melts more quickly, and there's less snowpack to run off as well," Knowles explained.
In order to meet increasing water demand through 2030, the SFPUC may divert up to an additional 25 million gallons of water per day from the
SFPUC spokesman Tony Winnicker said the water diversion plan was one of many strategies, including greater conservation.
"We'll have to manage the water supply differently where we capture water earlier," Winnicker said. "Over time, there may be less water to take from the Tuolomne. Is that a concern over the next 25 years? That's uncertain. Is that a concern over the next 100 years? Absolutely."
Gleick says there's no need to wait for new future sources of water when Bay Area residents can take practical steps to conserve right now.
Gleick says the water plan underestimates the potential for conservation and overestimates demand. His own alternative water plan, also published in 2005, shows how statewide use of water could decline by as much as 20 percent below 2000 levels cost-effectively, using existing technology, while satisfying the needs of city and suburban dwellers, farmers, and industry. Many actions are simple steps the state has yet to take, such as creating new water-efficiency standards for home appliances like toilets, showers, faucets and dishwashers. The state could require that water-efficient appliances be installed when a home is resold, instead of just requiring they be installed when a new home is constructed. And existing rebate programs could be expanded to reward people who opt to replace their appliances, even when they're not required to.
Restaurants could install high-efficiency rinse nozzles, and hospitals could convert to digital X-ray machines that don't require water to develop.
It would have helped, says Gleick, if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger hadn't vetoed a bill last year to require new homes to install the latest generation of low-flow toilets. The toilets would have saved
"I don't mean taking shorter showers or letting your lawn go brown or putting farmers out of business. I'm talking about doing what we want, more efficiently," Gleick said.
The Department of Water Resources plans to update its California Water Plan in 2009 with its first set of specific policy recommendations.
Gleick believes the state's Water Plan doesn't acknowledge that rising water rates will lower demand, especially in the agricultural sector.
Environmentally minded Bay Area residents actually have succeeded in using less water over the past few decades, not more, according to figures from the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency, which oversees the Hetch Hetchy water supply to cities throughout
In 2005-2006, the average water use per person in BAWSCA's customer territory was 88 gallons per person per day, which is 15 percent lower than in 1986-1987, and 23 percent lower than in 1976-1977. About 60 percent of the water is used by residents, and 40 percent by businesses.
By 2030, water demand from
City conservation efforts
In the meantime, water agencies have begun taking steps to conserve on their own. BAWSCA and its partner cities offer rebates to customers who replace old washing machines and toilets with more efficient equipment. Many of these rebates are funded by the ratepayers themselves.
Two years ago,
Recycled water has grown more common, too. Cities such as
Muller someday hopes to use recycled water on his crops. Meanwhile, his drip farming has paid dividends. "We use a quarter of the water we used to use, believe it or not," he said. "I think farmers have a responsibility. It's an educational process, but it's very difficult." #
http://www.insidebayarea.com/timesstar/localnews/ci_6327215
LANDSCAPING:
In the garden of dry delights
By Sandra Barrera, staff writer
Strolling along the dry-stream bed that cuts through a patch of unruly wildflowers in her yard, Berniece Wilson stops to admire a small pink blossom.
"Isn't that cute," she says with obvious pride.
Lowering her hand, the spry 84-year-old — a passionate backyard gardener who is active with the award-winning West Valley Garden Club — gently lifts up the Mexican Evening Primrose, whose delicate spreading flowers grow among the Cosmos and other heat-loving, drought-tolerant hardies at the rear of her Woodland Hills home.
Rosemary bushes, rosette-like "Hen and Chicks" Echeveria and the fiery spike of a Red-Hot Poker plant all thrive in this verdant landscape despite little watering from
"Shortages are looming," warns Lynn Lipinksi, program manager for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California's water-conservation outreach program. "I would characterize the situation as serious."
For many gardeners, a drought-stricken summer could spell ruin for their lush green grass, fragrant roses and other water-loving favorites. Remember the regulatory cutbacks of the 1980s and the miles of straw-colored lawns?
Not that Michael DeHart has to worry.
DeHart can go all summer without using a drop of water in his
"I like to know I can go on vacation at any time of the year," he says. "And I've designed my garden so I can do just that. So I wouldn't have heliotrope in my garden. It's beautiful, but it's unforgiving."
As horticulturist for the
"A plant that's grown in a nursery needs to be babied ... and then you can back off," DeHart explains.
Plants native to
But unless your garden is wooded, she recommends waiting until late fall and early winter to start planting to take advantage of the rain that "should be" falling.
If it doesn't fall, fake the winter by watering your plants liberally in the cooler months to prepare them for the long hot, dry summer ahead.
"The summer is the dormant season," Wolf says. "So during this time of year, we encourage a lot of learning and research on what plants are going to do well in your soil.
"And if you still want your heirloom roses, fine," she says. "Just group them in the same place as your plants with the same water needs."
"It isn't that much work because I try to keep it simple," she says. "The gardeners do come in and keep things so it doesn't get over grown because then it's more foliage that the plant has to support. So I'm very conscious of conserving water."
In fact,
Ice plant and oleander still cover the upward slope.
And now the lower reaches of the yard closest to the tree-shaded patio is dotted with Donkey's Tail cascading from clay pots as well as junipers and bottlebrush — one of her favorites.
"The bottlebrush are wonderful,"
"So, you know, if you're a nature lover, you want your garden to look like it belongs," she says. "It just works out beautifully."
Tips for a Drought Resistant Garden:
• Choose drought-resistant plants native to hot climates such as
• Group your water-loving plants together so you don't have to soak your entire garden.
• Layer 2 to 4 inches of mulch around thirsty plants and water as necessary. A drip system is a good choice. Piles of bark, peat moss or gravel trap moisture and slow down evaporation.
• Water plants in the cooler months if rain doesn't fall. This helps prepare them for a long, hot summer.
• When plants are young, skip frequent, shallow waterings in favor of deep soakings that penetrate about about a foot into the soil. This encourages plant roots to grow deeper in search of water, and deeper roots help them survive dry spells.
Landscaping for the water wise
If you plan on re-landscaping your drought-stricken yard this fall, you'll likely want to skip the turf given the growing scarcity of water these days.
Or you might want to consider other alternatives, says Lynn Lipinski, program director for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California's water-conservation outreach.
The M.W.D. has compiled a list of ground-hugging turf replacements — such as Thymus Pseudolanuginosus "Woolly Thyme," Herniaria Glabra "Green Carpet" and Dymondia Margaretae "Silver Carpet" — as well as other drought-tolerant favorites at www.bewaterwise.com.
Here are some of their recommendations:
Cotoneaster dammeri "Coral Beauty" Bearberry cotoneaster: A spreading shrub with glossy evergreen foliage and soft pink flowers followed in the spring by coral berries. Can grow 1 1/2 feet tall and is suitable for xeriscaping.
Kangaroo Paw: With its Iris-like foliage and fuzzy red flowers, this evergreen perennial grows 4 to 6 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide from spring through fall.
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_6315373?source=most_emailed
Dry winter means low water levels
By Greyson Howard, staff writer
After a dry winter, lake levels in the Truckee-Tahoe area will be dipping by the end of the summer.
Balancing the water needs downstream with the lake levels at Tahoe, Boca, Stampede, Prosser, and Donner lakes, officials are already letting water out of local dams to maintain a minimum flow on the
Combined with evaporation, the discharge has already outstripped the inflow from streams and snowmelt.
"Tahoe can carry us for a couple of years, but Prosser will get pretty low and Boca will get down near its minimum," said Chief Hydrologist Chad Blanchard with the U.S. District Court Water Masters Office.
The required outflow from Tahoe, Prosser, and Boca is used to maintain the minimum "Floriston Rate," which is 500 cubic feet of water per second in the
Currently, the
Blanchard predicted that natural flow would drop further by the end of the summer, possibly down to 60 or 70 cfs, putting more pressure on the local lakes and reservoirs.
In contrast, this time of year last year, the
For Tahoe, this means a potential drop of 2 feet before inflow picks up again in the early winter, he said, with 0.6 foot being released, and 1.5 feet evaporating.
"For Tahoe, the difference means there will be more beaches, maybe some more rocks exposed," Blanchard said.
Boca Reservoir, which never filled enough to reach the boat ramp this year, will require boaters to launch off of gravel bars to access the lake, he said.
While authorities started filling the lake early this spring after a dry winter, Hauck said with the closing of the dams in March, the required level was reached and the lake should be open for recreational business as usual for the summer.
He said
Overall, Blanchard said there are no concerns about the water supply this year, but said if the coming winter is also dry, the flow could fall below the minimum rate.
"It happens every so often, normally late in the year; it's why we have these reservoirs," Blanchard said. #
http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/20070709/NEWS/107090030
Water use reduction goal nears
Ukiah Daily Journal – 7/7/07
By Katie Mintz, staff writer
Water users in Ukiah and
Figures from the city of
In Ukiah, an 8 percent reduction was recorded. In
Conservation information was not available from Millview County Water District, which serves
The state mandated reduction, which runs from July 1 to Oct. 28, primarily affects the Sonoma County Water Agency, which requested a 15 percent reduction in the flow out of
It orders a 15 percent reduction in water diversions made by the agency and its customers from the
"We all need to work together to preserve enough water for people, agriculture, fish and recreation at both ends of the river," RVCWD General Manager Bill Koehler explained.
Since low lake levels were projected, both the RVCWD and the city of
In
Its Web site, http://www.rvcwd.org, also hosts information about conservation.
In Ukiah, Water Utilities Project Engineer Ann Burck has been working with the top five water users -- the city,
The cemetery, for instance, is watering two times a week rather than three as it had previously, a 30 percent cut, Burck noted.
"We also want to focus on residential conservation," Burck said. "If we can aggressively work with (the top five users) and maintain a residential program, I'm hopeful that we can hit that 15 percent target that
Conservation tips were sent to homes along with utility bills, and can also be found in the city's summer activity and recreation guide and on its Web site, http://www.cityofukiah.com.
Burck said she believes Ukiah residents will step to the conservation challenge, as they have in previous years, to reach and sustain the 15 percent target through October, but urged continuing efforts.
As RVCWD is the only agency to take water directly from Lake Mendocino and not the river, Koehler noted that the reduction in flows from the lake has helped ease the concern that by the end of the summer, the level may dip below RVCWD's pumps at 24,000 acre-feet and leave its customers without water.
"We're more hopeful because of the reduction by the Sonoma County Water Agency of outflow from the lake, but we all still need to conserve," Koehler said. #
http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/searchresults/ci_6322213
DESALINATION:
Seawater plant plan rejected a 4th time; Coastal panel's staff has more questions
By Michael Burge, staff writer
And the developer of the proposed Carlsbad plant – Poseidon Resources Inc. – said he wants the staff to pass the application on to the full, 12-member Coastal Commission so that panel can decide whether to issue a permit for the project.
Commission staff scientist Tom Luster rejected Poseidon's latest application Tuesday, citing several topics on which he needed more information. Among those were alternative water-intake methods, environmental mitigation measures and the project's financial feasibility.
Peter MacLaggan, senior vice president for Poseidon, which has proposed a desalination plant on the grounds of the Encina Power Station at the west end of Cannon Road, said the more information Poseidon provides, the more questions the commission staff members raise.
“What our plan is at this juncture is to respond to the (latest) letter and meet with staff to get a mutually acceptable completeness determination,” MacLaggan said yesterday.
He said he would like the commission to hear Poseidon's application in November, when it will meet in
MacLaggan said Poseidon has an option to appeal directly to the commission for a hearing, but he will meet with the staff before deciding whether to do that.
Poseidon has obtained most of the permits to build the $300 million plant. It still needs the coastal permit and a lease from the State Lands Commission.
It proposes to purify 50 million gallons of ocean water a day using filters and reverse-osmosis membranes, and distribute the water to
The commission staff has repeatedly objected to Poseidon's proposed method of drawing in ocean water.
The Encina power plant cycles as much as 600 million gallons a day through the plant to cool its steam generators. Poseidon would divert 100 million gallons of that stream into the desalination plant, demineralize and distribute half of it and return the rest to the ocean twice as salty as when it entered the plant.
Environmentalists object to this method because it kills fish that get pinned on the plant's intake screens, and cooks or crushes small organisms that pass through the cooling process.
Commission scientist Luster has repeatedly asked Poseidon about using “subsurface intakes” – pipes beneath the ocean floor – to draw water.
He made clear yesterday that subsurface intakes is the commission's preferred technology.
“Essentially the future of desalination in
MacLaggan said Poseidon has provided ample information regarding subsurface intakes at the
He said Poseidon's studies have concluded that its proposed process would kill less than 2 pounds of full-grown fish a day, and 12 percent of goby larvae in Agua Hedionda Lagoon, the plant's location.
He said the gobies are so numerous that not all of them reach adulthood, and the fish killed are the equivalent of what a single pelican eats in a day. He calls those impacts insignificant but that the company could compensate for them by developing 38 acres of new wetlands.
He said San Diego Gas & Electric tested beach wells at the
Luster suggested studying a method currently used in
Poseidon would need to bury pipes under 25 acres of ocean floor, he said, but that may be preferable to developing new wetlands. MacLaggan said that proposal is potentially self-defeating.
“Digging a 25-acre hole in the ocean has its own set of environmental impacts,” MacLaggan said. “The Coastal Commission is putting forward (suggestions) that have questionable solutions, that have a large price tag, and that are not necessarily less impactive than what's before them.”
He said he also objected to the commission staff repeatedly questioning the plant's economic feasibility, saying desalination should not be required to provide information not required of other commercial projects. #
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070707/news_1mi7desal.html
DEVELOPMENT:
Builder looks for new way for water; Sun Cal explores ideas to supply
Contra Costa Times – 7/9/07
By Rowena Costsee, staff writer
Sun Cal Companies originally had planned to install a half-mile pipeline to carry Diablo Water District's water to Delta Coves, a development of single-family homes and condominiums under construction.
The special district primarily serves Oakley residents, although it also owns several wells, including one on
The temporary pipeline would have run either alongside or under Bethel Island Bridge and, when Contra Costa County eventually replaces the span, a permanent water line would have been attached underneath, said Mike Yeraka, the water district's general manager.
However, district engineers balked when the county asked them to certify that the bridge could withstand an earthquake despite the added weight of the pipe, he said, noting that the structure has not been seismically retrofitted.
In April, Yeraka invited Sun Cal to meet with him to discuss the possibility of installing a water line under the bottom of the slough instead, thereby eliminating the need to replace the pipe after the bridge is rebuilt.
Sun Cal representatives did not respond to his phone calls and e-mails, however, Yeraka said.
Company spokesman Joe Aguirre said the Irvine-based developer nixed that approach because it would have required applying for an excavation permit and thereby delayed the project.
Yeraka thinks cost also factored into Sun Cal's apparent dismissal of his suggestion; Diablo Water District would have required the developer to build two 1 million-gallon reservoirs and a pump station for fire protection to the tune of about $7 million, he said.
The Sun Cal team overseeing Delta Coves is considering other options, Aguirre said.
The developer has met with a couple of Bethel Island's small, private water companies to find out whether they are interested in providing treated water to Delta Coves residents, Aguirre said.
The Bethel Island Municipal Improvement District's Web site includes a proposal by Sun Cal to use a high-pressure filter system that would remove the salts from drinking water that make it hard and mix those chemicals with well water for irrigation and firefighting purposes.
The idea now is to serve not only Delta Coves residents but about 400 to 500 residents near the development, he said.
Sun Cal probably will decide what it is going to do in the next month or two, Aguirre said.
In addition, the developer will provide new fire hydrants, he said.
The five outlets along
The so-called wharf hydrants elsewhere on the island produce a comparatively low volume of water, and fire crews only would use them as a secondary source.
Consequently, the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District must rely on its water tenders to transport and draft water from the Delta, Aguirre said.
Sun Cal also verbally agreed last month to honor an agreement the fire district had with the previous developer and give it $1 million toward a new fire station as well as $100,000 to defray the cost of the new fire boat the district is expecting to receive in November, Chief Bill Weisgerber said.
The existing Station 95 sits below the flood plain, and its design does not meet modern-day standards, he said, calling it a "converted Quonset hut."
Sun Cal's donation will cover about half the cost of building a larger fire station on the Delta Coves site and about one-third the cost of the fireboat, Weisgerber said. #
http://www.contracostatimes.com/search/ci_6331954
RUSSIAN RIVER SUPPLY:
Editorial: Drip, drip; As restrictions increase, local water supply is being reduced
Santa Rosa Press Democrat – 7/9/07
The threats to
Monday's article by Staff Writer Guy Kovner highlights the concerns of federal fish biologists, who have issued a draft opinion making it clear that Dry Creek can no longer serve as a fast moving "conveyor belt" carrying water from
According to a draft opinion released by the National Marine Fisheries Service, the large volumes of water released into the creek during the summer are fatal to young coho and steelhead that incubate in the creek's gravel beds. To help restore the fish, the Sonoma County Water Agency may need to build a pipeline paralleling the creek that would carry much of the water, reconfigure the creek channel to create slow-moving eddys -- or both.
A recent article by Staff Writer George Lauer on extreme weather patterns finds that wet days are getting wetter and dry spells are getting drier -- possibly due to global warming. This creates challenges for officials as they attempt to balance too much water one year with too little the next.
Last month, the state agreed to a request by the water agency to reduce the water released from
To say that it will be expensive to mitigate these problems is an understatement.
Building a pipeline and reconfiguring the creek could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, as could raising the dam at
These projects could take decades to fund and build -- and it's still unclear whether they will lead to the restoration of endangered fish.
Only one thing is certain: Water won't be more plentiful in the future. Communities should aggressively look for ways to reduce and reuse -- now. #
http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20070708/NEWS/707080325/1043/OPINION01
WATER TRANSFERS:
Letters to the Editors: Don't fear studies — or transfers
By Mike Wade, executive director, California Farm Water Coalition
Water transfers have been part of
The OID's directors and staff have demonstrated wise decision-making in the past by developing a water resources plan to update the district's infrastructure and improve its water use efficiency. If the decision is made to transfer water to
Remember, a water transfer only involves the movement of water, not the rights or ownership of that water. If the OID's study provides a green light to a transfer agreement with a buyer such as the city of
http://www.modbee.com/opinion/letters/story/13770622p-14352008c.html
GLOBAL WATER ISSUES:
Guest Opinion: We're running out of water
San Francisco Chronicle – 7/8/07
By Martin Lagod, managing director and co-founder of Firelake Capital Management
When I took my oldest daughter to college for the first time, I was struck by the number of students I saw lugging bottled water into their dorm rooms, case after case. Wasn't tap water good enough for these kids, I wondered? Why pay $2 a bottle for something that I always thought of as free?
Of course, water has never been free, and we take it for granted at our peril. Envision a future when a $2 bottle of water will seem cheap, when water scarcity drives up its price, leading to mass suffering, riots and, quite possibly, water wars. In parts of the world, this is already reality. The fact is our planet is in danger of running out of potable water faster than we realize.
According to data collected from NASA and the World Health Organization, 4 billion people will face water shortages by 2050.
Already in
The crisis in
In sub-Saharan
Across the world, deadly conflicts already rage over water. The Global Policy Forum cites conflicts from
If Americans think water shortage is a problem that only affects less developed nations, they are in for a shock. The
Just as people are starting to wake up to global warming, it's time to wake up to the related challenge of finding solutions to an impending water crisis.
What can be done? Unlike oil or natural gas, for which alternatives are being created and tested in labs around the world, water has no equal and no alternative. Our bodies and crops will accept nothing else, and we cannot manufacture more.
Our supply will literally dry up if we don't take action to protect it. Water efficiency is our only option.
Drought, overpopulation and pollution are all contributing to the water crisis, but so is water waste and overuse -- two factors that can be mitigated through better water efficiency practices. In the
As it turns out, saving on household water use is great news not only for the environment, but also for our bank accounts.
According to the California Energy Commission, moving, treating, consuming and heating water accounts for 19 percent of the state's electricity and 30 percent of its natural gas use. If we reduce our use of water, we essentially limit our use of gas and electricity, reduce carbon dioxide emissions and lower our monthly utility bills.
Landscapes are the single largest consumer of non-agricultural water, and are typically over-watered by 30 to 300 percent.
Property developers who use smart technology to automate irrigation report collective savings of more than 200 million gallons of water each year, representing an estimated $350 million in annual cost savings.
These potential savings have caught the attention of the government and prompted new legislation. Many Western municipalities now deny building permits to developers unless their plans incorporate water-saving technology. Assembly Bill 1881, enacted in
Government mandates are part of the answer, but the real power lies in free market innovation. Companies that find solutions to this urgent problem stand to grow and benefit. Developing or adopting clean technology can be a means to drive higher profit margins and cut expenses -- all while helping to protect the environment for future generations.
For our planet's future, we have to safeguard and make intelligent use of our water. We have an opportunity -- and a moral obligation -- to develop, use and invest in technological solutions that reduce water waste.
The water shortage crisis -- a close second to the global warming crisis -- needs to be at a higher level of awareness for our population. We assume water will be there forever, but that's not the case. We can no longer take it for granted. We have to put our best thinking, energy and resources into finding solutions while we still can.
Martin Lagod is a managing director and co-founder of Firelake Capital Management, which focuses on emerging technology companies. #
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/07/08/EDGOTQ8JBS1.DTL
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