Water Education Foundation
This is just one post in the Recycled Water Category
Click here to view all posts

Plumb the freeways!

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 12, 2008 at 6:33 am

From the San Diego Transcript, this commentary:

On June 4th, our slinky-spined governor proclaimed a state-wide “drought.” Reciting long-known facts such as: decades of rainfall declines in the Colorado River basin; the state of Arizona’s baby-boomers boom requiring Arizona officials to demand their state’s lawful share of the Colorado curtailing California’s supply; and the recent decision by federal Judge Oliver Wanger taking the side of the Delta Smelt fish against 25 million Southern Californians further reducing San Diego’s supply by a whopping third, the governor then ordered his troops to solve this problem.

Or did he?

Instead of ordering the construction of the Sacramento Delta peripheral canal that would solve the Delta-Smelt problem or eliminating the Coastal Commission’s authority to veto salt-water desalinization plants that would increase our fresh-water supplies, he instead abjures the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to: “facilitate,” “work with,” “help,” “coordinate with,” and, oh yes “expedite.” This is all “government-de-guk”: in other words, ultimately it means nothing.

I submit to fellow San Diegans that if we wait around for the DWR to do any of the above, our canteens will be dryer than the billions of dollars worth of agricultural and private- and public-landscape plantings that we will be forced to abandon.

Water-supply problems have been pending for years and each has a solution that so far state and local elected officials have managed to evade. Sadly, elected officials do not act until we the public, as Roger Hedgecock would say, “Hold their feet to the fire.” Well folks, now is the time. Clip this column and send it to your city council member or state senator.

Let’s start with a practical and immediate solution that requires nothing more than action by your state and local elected officials. No change in state law is required, just action.

Read the rest of this article from the San Diego Transcript by clicking here.

June 12, 2008 · Filed Under Recycled Water

Comments

Leave a Reply