Central Valley Business Times

Report: California has enough water, if it’s used wisely

SACRAMENTO
August 11, 2009 7:07am

• Says management has caused current problems

• ‘A well-managed future water supply to take us to 2050 is within reach’

A new report Tuesday argues that California has enough water supply right now to avoid drought-like conditions, if it were properly managed.

“California has already developed enough water supplies to satisfy our needs into the foreseeable future by utilizing existing infrastructure and existing cost effective technologies,” says the report by a group calling itself the Environmental Water Caucus.

“Water efficient technologies and approaches … can save or reduce water consumption in urban areas by as much as 5 million acre feet a year by 2030 compared with current trends – enough water to support a population growth of 29,000,000 people,” the report says. That would be more than current population projections for the next 40 years.

“Clearly, a well-managed future water supply to take us to 2050 is within reach with the current supplies and with an aggressive water conservation program,” it says. “In addition, still larger savings can be expected from agricultural water efficiencies, and some of this saved water could be available for urban consumption.”

It says all of the water conservation strategies are “much less expensive” than the new surface storage and conveyance projects being contemplated by state and federal agencies.

The report’s 65 recommendations include elimination of water supplies to irrigate what it calls ‘impaired farmlands,’ aggressive statewide water conservation, a precluding of major new reservoirs and a reduction of exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in order to protect it and its fishes.

It also argues against a Peripheral Canal around the Delta to increase water exports.

The EWC members include the Sierra Club California, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, the Bay Institute, and 20 others.

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