[Water_news] 2. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: SUPPLY - 3/18/08

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment 

 

March 18, 2008

 

2. Supply

 

Editorial: Conservation still the thing; Wet winter no reprieve

Ventura County Star – 3/18/08

 

Winter officially ends Thursday, and for many people, spring can't come soon enough. Sunny skies are predicted for today and, except for morning fog, for Wednesday and Thursday as well, with nary a drop of spring showers in sight.

 

And that, too, for some people is a good thing. Winter has been good to Ventura County.

 

As of Wednesday, every area of the county has exceeded the normal year-to-date rainfall total, some by significant amounts. Casitas Dam, for example, had 161.7 percent of normal. Ojai had 137.3 percent and Simi Valley, 123.3 percent.

 

That is good news after the tiny amount of rain that fell in the county last year.

 

However, it doesn't mean we can afford to be complacent. Although rain has fallen in significant amounts this season to fill reservoirs and to leave an abundant snow pack in the Sierra Nevada, we still need to conserve water.

 

Conservation alone is not enough to guarantee sufficient water supplies when the need is greatest. Water officials see conservation as one of several "solutions" to minimize the effects of drought. Other solutions include recycling water, better and more storage and, possibly, re-engineering the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

 

Yes, that means again debating the idea of a peripheral canal or some other method to divert river water around the delta.

 

The Calleguas Municipal Water District, based in Thousand Oaks and serving portions of Ventura County from Oxnard to the Ventura-Los Angeles County line, has about 100,000 acre-feet of water stored in its Las Posas Aquifer. An acre-foot of water — the amount of water to an acre of land 1-foot deep — is generally considered enough water to supply two average households for a year. The district hopes eventually to fill the aquifer with 300,000 acre-feet of water.

 

Government and agency audits to help homeowners conserve water, pushing to reduce landscape irrigation and urging low-flow toilets and efficient fixtures are good places to start. In fact, the city of Ventura's push to have residents use more water-efficient toilets allows it to use the same amount of water it did in 1973 when it had 70 percent fewer people.

 

While all these are helpful, long-term solutions are needed, and those don't spring up overnight.

 

In the meantime, people can help by using less water, while relishing the spring rains that will keep the hills green and gardens blooming. #

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/mar/18/conservation-still-the-thing/

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