[Water_news] 2. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: SUPPLY -11/5/08

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment 

 

November 5, 2008

 

2. Supply –

 

 

Editorial:

California is facing a water crisis

Contra Costa Times – 11/5/08

 

THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT of Water Resources sent out a danger signal recently and we Californians had better heed the warnings. The state plans on cutting water deliveries to their second lowest level in history. Agency officials announced only 15 percent of the water that local agencies have requested will be delivered this season.

 

The warning is quite clear — barring a miracle, get ready for water rationing and fewer crops from farmers.

 

Even though we have had some early rain, the situation remains bleak. Regional water officials have urged Californians to immediately reduce their water use to stretch whatever thin supply remains.

 

One farmer in Kern County called the water projections disastrous. The signs are abundant that the recent drought is beginning to rear its ugly head.

Lake Oroville is the state's second largest reservoir. Normally it would be half full at the start of November; currently it stands at only 30 percent. The San Luis Reservoir, south of San Jose, is barely over 10 percent of capacity.

 

In Southern California, the Metropolitan Water District has used more than a third of its reserves.

Low snowpack levels in the Sierra last winter and the deteriorating ecosystem in the Delta that led a federal court to limit water pumping have brought us to what must be considered a crisis.

 

We have long called for the state to find ways to deliver more dependable water supplies in the state under drought conditions, but lawmakers have stalled any proposals.

 

That is why Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has created the Delta Vision Project, which has been studying alternatives for more than a year.

The governor believes we should build more dams and design new ways to draw help from the Delta without further risking its fragile environment. We agree and it is time to get moving on both.

 

The situation was more dire in 1993 when the state promised contractors just 10 percent of their requests, the lowest initial projection on record. Not soon after that, however, California was doused with heavy precipitation and water officials revised the allotment to 100 percent.

 

We cannot, and should not, count on a repeat of 1993. The water situation can potentially be an economic bomb during rough times, particularly to our precious agriculture industry.

 

This situation is a clarion call for Californians to conserve now and build responsibly for the future.#

http://www.contracostatimes.com/opinion/ci_10896592?nclick_check=1

 

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