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A sustainable and affordable water policy for California

Posted by: Maven on May 3, 2008 at 6:34 am

From the California Progress Report, this commentary regarding the hard choices that California needs to make to solve water issues:

Arnold wants to ignore the problem and simply build more dams and canals to prevent Californians from making these hard choices. Although Lois Wolk helped deal a major blow to the Peripheral Canal this week, it and other backward plans will resurface.

Ironically, global warming might just be the kind of opportunity we need to make these major changes.

Much of California’s water delivery systems were built over 50 years ago, on the assumption that the relatively wet climate of that era would persist, or was “normal.” As we now know, it wasn’t, and California has experienced 200-year megadroughts as recently as the 13th century. Global warming is already altering our rainfall patterns, and will force us to make the changes we have been for too long postponing.

Our watchwords for water solutions must be “sustainability” and “affordability” (as in keep private companies FAR away). Many California localities, like Monterey, have shaped growth around water supplies for many years now. This practice needs to be extended to the entire state, to ensure that growth and development happen with respect to, and not ignorance of, locally available water sources.

Ultimately we must also deal with agriculture. The food shortages experienced around the world and here in California show the value of locally produced food. But that is a different use of the land than the massive export-oriented agribusiness that characterizes California agriculture. We must now consider changing that set of practices, if our water supplies are to hold out, and if our people are to be properly fed.

Read the full text of the commentary from the California Progress Report by clicking here.

May 3, 2008 · Filed Under Legislation - State & Federal

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