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Mistrust creates water crisis: Insufficient storage facilities contributed to water loss

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on July 14, 2008 at 10:00 am

From the Antelope Valley Press:

Antelope Valley has let at least $100 million worth of water slip through its grasp over the past 16 years, enough to supply several hundred thousand families for a year.

Since 1992, between 300,000 and 400,000 acre-feet of water has bypassed the desert through the California Aqueduct, all for lack of storage facilities to capture what local suppliers are entitled to take, said Russ Fuller, manager of the Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency. Lack of leadership, lack of trust among water users, and a lack of reliable data have been blamed for the Valley today facing cutbacks on water use, limitations on development and the inability to move forward on building water facilities needed to ensure adequate water supplies.

Court battles are being waged over water rights while simmering feuds continue between public agencies, farmers and private water companies over who should manage groundwater supplies.

Earlier this year, 11 agencies put their differences aside and adopted a comprehensive regional plan designed to help solve the Valley’s water shortage and provide reliable supplies long into the future.

But why did it take so long to get here?

Many say it boils down to poor relationships among government leaders and an unwillingness on the part of agencies to relinquish control in exchange for a united approach that would help solve the Valley’s problems region-wide. Despite contentious interactions over water for more than 20 years, some leaders say they simply didn’t believe there was a problem.

“I think the resources, at the time, we thought were infinite,” said Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford, who has been involved in Palmdale politics for 23 years. “We didn’t see a need to cut back. Our growth curve was at a point where we could sustain (ourselves) based on the water deliveries that were contractually in play. We just didn’t have an awareness, and the nature of this, the severity of this, was not I think fully understood by all parties.”

Lack of awareness is not limited to public leaders.

“Water is one of those things people just don’t think about until they go to get in the shower or flush the toilet or turn on the tap,” said Lancaster City Councilman Ed Sileo.

Read more from the Antelope Valley Press by clicking here.

July 14, 2008 · Filed Under Antelope Valley, Water Storage

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