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Living within our water limits; the Delta smelt bi-op “forces us to acknowledge the limits of our water supply”, says commentary

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 18, 2008 at 8:46 am

From the Santa Clarita Signal, this commentary by Cam Noltmeyer, a community activist and a board member of Santa Clarita Organization for Planning and the Environment:

A few days ago, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued its final “biological opinion” on the Sacramento Delta Smelt. In order to protect this endangered fish, the opinion will make permanent the pumping reductions ordered last year by Judge Oliver Wanger.

But to many people who have been working on water supply issues in the state, it accomplishes something far more important. It forces us to acknowledge the limits of our water supply.

For the past several generations, since Mulholland in the 1900s and Pat Brown in the 1960s with the State Water Project, Angelenos, including Santa Claritans, have turned on their taps and water came out. It was cheap, it was abundant, and it was always there. So we thought no more about it.

But the technology and massive engineering projects that brought us this miracle of cheap and accessible water neglected the one issue of prime importance: its limits.

People just didn’t think about it. The Sacramento River seemed so huge the supply would be boundless, so there really was no limit.

Now, with a burgeoning population in our state and in the world, limits are appearing everywhere. There are limits to fossil-fuel reserves, limits to our forests and limits to our water supply in California.

Read more of this commentary from the Santa Clarita Signal by clicking here.

December 18, 2008 · Filed Under Delta smelt, Judge Wanger delta smelt ruling

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