EH2ED Guest Blog Feature – John Allen, president of Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners explains why conversation is a must, not a need
Posted by Ryan on Tuesday, April 7th, 2009 at 9:17 am
California Facing a Structural Water Deficit
Some people, both in the media and the water supply industry, continue to believe that our current water supply crisis is solely a result of drought, and that extraordinary efforts to conserve may not be as necessary as many State and local officials have repeatedly insisted. This line of thinking is dangerous, and an incredible disservice to the public we serve.
Southern California faces a structural imbalance between its water supplies and its water demands, even in normal hydrologic years, and every Southern Californian needs to heed calls to conserve.
The State of California is in its third consecutive year of a drought. Even with the most recent improved snow pack survey results, the State is still planning on delivering eighty percent less water than has been requested by water contractors in Southern California, the Bay Area and the Central Valley. In addition, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), from which Southern California purchases all of its imported water, will implement a Water Shortage Allocation Plan in the coming months, which will have a huge impact on communities, both in water allocation and rates. And those communities not adequately prepared to deal with this plan will pay a price.
By far the most significant water supply issue we have involves the decline of fish populations in the Bay Delta estuary, which has led to pumping restrictions on imported water delivered from the north to the southern part of our state, where two-thirds of the population resides. These restrictions are currently resulting in an approximate thirty percent cut in water deliveries to several regions throughout our state. In fact, just a few weeks ago, the State imposed additional protections on two different species of fish that reside in this estuary. Over the next several months, there will be additional legal opinions and rulings to protect additional fish species, which will likely result in additional restrictions on pumping, resulting in additional cuts in water deliveries.
Today, our most critical water supply reserves continue to remain dramatically low with little to no prospect of recovery this year. Add to that an ever-increasing population that is demanding more and more water, and an overly-casual, business as usual attitude with regard to our water use, and we have the recipe for a disaster.
We all need to be less reactionary and more informed when it comes to our water crisis. Relying on increases in future rain and snowfall, or a miracle weather event, to fix our water deficit, is not only short-sighted and irresponsible, but it is bound to result in failure. A permanent change in our water-using behavior is necessary, regardless of whether there is a drought or not. Conservation is an absolutely necessary component of a viable, long-term water supply and we all need to hold ourselves and our neighbors accountable.
John Allen, President, Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners
