Zeno Swijtink
02-03-2009, 12:37 PM
Editorial: California residents need to start conserving water now - Inside Bay Area (https://www.insidebayarea.com/opinion/ci_11611517) – 2/3/09
THE MESSAGE from state water officials is clear: Start conserving now. Don't wait.
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It doesn't matter where you live. If you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Don't flush your toilet if you don't have to. Turn off your shower while you soap up. Limit your yard watering. Stop washing your car at home and certainly don't hose down your sidewalks and driveways to clean them when a broom would work just as well. Fix leaky faucets.
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Conserve. Conserve. Conserve.
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Why? Because, "we may be at the start of the worst California drought in modern history," says Lester Snow, director of the state Department of Water Resources. "It's imperative for Californians to conserve water immediately at home and in their businesses."
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And it's time for water districts across the state to start mandating conservation, with stiff penalties for those who don't comply.
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California snow pack is only about 61 percent of normal for this time of year. January, usually the wettest month, was a bust — one of the driest first months of the year on record.
*
Last year at this time, the snow pack was 111 percent of normal, but the driest spring on record led to a second straight year of drought. Now we are probably facing a third.
*
If the skies don't open in a very major way soon, this drought will be more severe than those of 1976-77 and 1987-92, the worst in modern times.
*
It's not just the rain and snowfall shortage that's strangling the water supply. With more people and more permanent crops, there's greater demand for water now. Moreover, there's less water feeding Southern California from the Colorado River, meaning that there is greater demand on the Delta to help make up the difference. And we are in the first major drought since many fish species were added to the list of threatened and endangered species.
*
Our state's lack of restraint in recent years has contributed to a decline in Delta fish populations, including smelt, salmon and steelhead. Now major restrictions on delivery of Delta water are needed to help the wildlife recover.
*
The consequences of the water shortfall could be devastating. Saving that front lawn will be the least of our worries. As farmers fallow thousands of acres of row crops, tens of thousands of jobs will be lost and billions of dollars of income.
*
A state already ravaged by recession will face yet another financial kick in the stomach.
*
Make no mistake. State leaders should have taken more action by now to increase reservoir storage capacity. Farmers should have stopped wasting water by flooding fields and growing low-value crops. Cities like Sacramento should not have been allowed to wait nearly two more decades before installing meters for all customer accounts to ensure residents are charged for the water they use.
*
There is plenty of blame to go around and much need for drastic policy changes and planning for new facilities. But any new facilities planned now won't save us from what lies ahead this year. Nor can we count on a wet February or March.
*
The time for action is now. We must take personal responsibility and our elected leaders across the state, through rationing and fines, must insist on it.
THE MESSAGE from state water officials is clear: Start conserving now. Don't wait.
*
It doesn't matter where you live. If you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Don't flush your toilet if you don't have to. Turn off your shower while you soap up. Limit your yard watering. Stop washing your car at home and certainly don't hose down your sidewalks and driveways to clean them when a broom would work just as well. Fix leaky faucets.
*
Conserve. Conserve. Conserve.
*
Why? Because, "we may be at the start of the worst California drought in modern history," says Lester Snow, director of the state Department of Water Resources. "It's imperative for Californians to conserve water immediately at home and in their businesses."
*
And it's time for water districts across the state to start mandating conservation, with stiff penalties for those who don't comply.
*
California snow pack is only about 61 percent of normal for this time of year. January, usually the wettest month, was a bust — one of the driest first months of the year on record.
*
Last year at this time, the snow pack was 111 percent of normal, but the driest spring on record led to a second straight year of drought. Now we are probably facing a third.
*
If the skies don't open in a very major way soon, this drought will be more severe than those of 1976-77 and 1987-92, the worst in modern times.
*
It's not just the rain and snowfall shortage that's strangling the water supply. With more people and more permanent crops, there's greater demand for water now. Moreover, there's less water feeding Southern California from the Colorado River, meaning that there is greater demand on the Delta to help make up the difference. And we are in the first major drought since many fish species were added to the list of threatened and endangered species.
*
Our state's lack of restraint in recent years has contributed to a decline in Delta fish populations, including smelt, salmon and steelhead. Now major restrictions on delivery of Delta water are needed to help the wildlife recover.
*
The consequences of the water shortfall could be devastating. Saving that front lawn will be the least of our worries. As farmers fallow thousands of acres of row crops, tens of thousands of jobs will be lost and billions of dollars of income.
*
A state already ravaged by recession will face yet another financial kick in the stomach.
*
Make no mistake. State leaders should have taken more action by now to increase reservoir storage capacity. Farmers should have stopped wasting water by flooding fields and growing low-value crops. Cities like Sacramento should not have been allowed to wait nearly two more decades before installing meters for all customer accounts to ensure residents are charged for the water they use.
*
There is plenty of blame to go around and much need for drastic policy changes and planning for new facilities. But any new facilities planned now won't save us from what lies ahead this year. Nor can we count on a wet February or March.
*
The time for action is now. We must take personal responsibility and our elected leaders across the state, through rationing and fines, must insist on it.