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Today’s big news you won’t see the the LA Times or the Daily News…

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on April 25, 2007 at 9:59 am

The news all over Northern California today is that the Senate committee rejected Schwarzenegger’s proposal to build two new dams. This issue is not dead, however; expect it to resurface again later on this year.

The story wasn’t even covered in the LA Times or the Daily News today, yet it has received wide coverage up north. So why should we care about two new dams?

A dam provides two main functions: water storage and flood control. As the climate continues to get warmer, snowpacks are diminishing and melting earlier, and more precipitation is going to fall as rain. During heavy rainfalls, dam operators must balance between the need to capture the water for storage and the need to maintain space for flood control. Without dams to catch it all, the water will simply run out to sea.

Now I’m not necessarily for the building of dams, but the water storage needs to be addressed. As the population of California continues to grow, there is great concern for our water supply. In a drought situation, multiple dry years could mean severe water shortages statewide. Southern California receives its imported water from three areas: the Owens Valley, the Colorado River, and the State Water Project. All three of these areas are experiencing drought and impacts from the water diversions that help sustain us.

Two-thirds of California gets at least a portion of its drinking water from the Bay-Delta area, and ecologically and functionally, this area is in trouble. The levees, most of which were built after the Gold Rush era, are over a hundred years old and are not reliable. It is not a question of ‘if’ there will be a levee failure, but a matter of ‘when’. The Delta is threatened by floods, earthquakes, sinking land, regional climate change, invasive species and increasing urbanization. More is needed to be done for the Delta area, and we’re going to have to spend some money to do it.

Oh yeah, and I forgot to tell you, the pumps that draw water from the Delta to feed the SWP are due to be shut off in less than 60 days. Those pumps are trapping a lot of endangered species and contributing - at least in some portion - to the decline of salmon and the Delta smelt, an endangered species. These fish populations have dropped off preciptously in recent years.

So we haven’t heard the end of it yet. There will be more talk about new dams, the Delta, conservation, water recycling, and of the peripheral canal. And we here in Southern California need to be part of that dialog. We need to be aware of where our water comes from, and how it is impacting the areas that we draw it from. Whether there are new dams or not, new canals or not, conservation is - has to be - part of our future.

For more information on the dam proposeal and it’s defeat yesterday, here’s Hank Shaw’s story - you can also visit his blog by clicking here or by using the link on the blogroll. And, here’s the story from the Sacramento Bee, and click here for Tom Philip’s blog.

For more information on general water issues, click here.

April 25, 2007 · Filed Under Water Legislation

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