A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
July 30, 2008
2. Supply –
Compact will keep
Study: come up with a plan or face water shortages
Contra Costa Times- 7/28/08
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Compact will keep
By Eric Sharp, Outdoors Writer
Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., said last week that he was confident that the Great Lakes Compact, designed to prevent water diversions from the lakes, would be passed by Congress, although perhaps not this year.
I hope he's right, because if Congress doesn't act quickly, we'll soon see panicked and politically powerful interests in the Southwest and Southeast do everything possible to stop the compact from passing -- once enough people in those areas grasp just how dire their straits are.
They continue to water golf courses in
They continue to water lawns and fill swimming pools in southern
After surviving a true water crisis last year,
And people continue to move to those states in droves.
The Great Lakes Compact would give control of the water in the lakes to the states surrounding them and prevent other states or even foreign countries from taking water out through pipelines or on ships.
The Great Lakes states sit on 20% of all the fresh surface water in the world and 95% of all the surface water in
Both presidential candidates, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, say they support passage of the compact. And the House and Senate leadership have also voiced support.
But that's what they say now. What will they say if the southern drought worsens next year and people in those places start demanding resources from water-rich states?
Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., said the compact "will be done by the end of this session, I assure you." However, things are iffier in the Senate, where individual members can stop legislation from advancing.
"I cannot tell you with confidence that it will pass this year -- but I will tell you with confidence that it will pass," Levin said. But the longer is takes to bring the compact to a final vote, the less its chances of passing.
Interstate water compacts have been around for a long time. The best known, and most notorious, is the Colorado River Compact that has been responsible for putting the Southwest into the critical mess we see today.
When it was created, no one dreamed that within a century
Because they didn't allow for drought and the growth of populations, agriculture and businesses, the
In addition, the Colorado River Compact was hammered out by politicians and business interests who gave no thought at all to the environmental damage caused by reducing the flow of the river, or the fact that they were seizing water from Native American tribes and Mexican farmers who needed it just as much as they.
Now the federal courts are handling suits brought by environmentalists, Indian tribes and others who say their interests have been damaged by years of misfeasance and malfeasance. And the courts are giving those once powerless stakeholders a much bigger say in what will happen in the future.
That will make it even more important for the interests that controlled the
Of course, political and business leaders there could decide to curtail their growth, impose water-use restrictions that would really make a difference and encourage businesses to expand by opening new facilities in water-rich states such as
The Great Lakes Compact isn't perfect. It allows for bottled water to be shipped to other states, which could become a significant amount, and I believe that some of the compact states,
But it's a start, and if we want to see our grandchildren keep control of what is going to be a resource as valuable as oil, we need to encourage our political leaders to get it passed. Take the time to e-mail and telephone them and tell them that the Great Lakes Compact is important to you.
Of course, we could all just say to heck with it and hope that someday we'll get jobs helping to build that water pipeline to Los Angeles.#
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080727/SPORTS10/807270614/1058
Study: come up with a plan or face water shortages
Contra Costa Times- 7/28/08
Local and regional water agencies and water companies must jointly develop a strategy to avoid water shortages now that the Southland's traditional sources are drying up, according to a study released today.
The recommendation was among the preliminary findings of a study -- "Where Will We Get The Water? Assessing
The study was designed to identify and compare water supply and reliability options for the region in light of the declining supplies from traditional water import sources -- the Colorado River, the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta, and the
"Our local, regional water agencies and private water companies need to work together to devise and implement a regional water reliability strategy which uses southern California's full array of water resources and infrastructure, including exchange programs, underground storage, and other shared services to meet our future water needs," said Southern California Leadership Council Executive Director Lee Harrington.
The County Development Corporation also released several other preliminary findings, which it said "still await input from the water sector":
- Constructing a new water conveyance system in the San Joaquin/Sacramento Delta is a top priority
- Southern
"A concerted effort would literally bring in millions of additional acre feet of water," according to the study.
- Urban water conservation is one of the most promising and least costly options to extend Southland water supplies
- Local storm water capture and increased use of ground water storage are the next largest and most cost-effective alternatives
- There should be interagency cooperation -- facilitated by the Metropolitan Water District -- to share water resources and minimize unnecessary water transfers
- Recycling water for domestic use and desalination, while expensive and more power- intensive, are viable options to ensure reliability of necessary supplies.#
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_10020827?nclick_check=1
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