Calvert Op-Ed: State still thirsting for water solutions
State still thirsting for water solutions
By Ken Calvert
Despite recent storms, California continues to be in the midst of a significant drought. In fact, despite above average rain and snow in February, most of California has received only about half of normal precipitation levels this winter, and recent measurements reveal snowpack levels less than one-third of normal.
The impact of our drought is felt hardest in our agriculture-rich Central Valley. Farmers along the Westside of the valley have already indicated that they plan to leave fallow half a million acres of farmland. What is the impact of these farming reductions? One example is that 72 million heads of lettuce won't be grown in California, and will likely be imported instead from Mexico.
For now, most communities in Southern California are in a better position to deal with the drought. Our water officials know dry years are simply part of the California weather cycle and plan ahead. Aggressive conservation efforts combined with significant investments to increase our water storage capacity have enabled water officials to keep the water flowing.
Since 2010, more than nine million square feet of turf has been removed and replaced with drought-tolerant plants, thanks in large part to financial incentives under Metropolitan Water District's conservation program. Our water agencies have also led the way in recycling water, with more than 400,000 acre-feet of recycled water produced last year. Nearly half of that water is used to recharge groundwater basins. One acre-foot of water is 326,000 gallons, which is generally enough to supply two households with water for one year.
Here in the Inland Empire, we have seen the development of water storage take place right before our eyes. Diamond Valley Lake, Lake Skinner and Lake Mathews combined are capable of storing more than a million acrefeet of water. Today, even at the end of a historically dry winter, these reservoirs are storing around 725,000 acre-feet of water.
Unfortunately, there are still more than a quarter million households and businesses in our state that don't have water meters. Incredibly, about half of all water connections in our state capital of Sacramento still don't have meters. According to the California Department of Water Resources, communities without meters use 39 percent more water per capita than the state average.
In order to address water challenges, every region throughout our state must follow Southern California's lead on water conservation and storage. The simple answer to getting through the dry years is to save and store as much water as possible.
The complicating factors are the federally-mandated policies that allow special interest groups to file environmental lawsuits to block water deliveries. As a result, California water agencies were forced to flush 800,000 acre-feet of water last year alone into the Pacific Ocean to comply with court-imposed restrictions. That's enough water to completely fill up the Diamond Valley Lake reservoir.
Too many of our critical water policies are decided by judges. In the end, we have water use policies that aren't helping people or endangered species. That broken system is exactly why Congress should take action and restore some common sense to our environmental policies by updating the Endangered Species Act to allow for the use of modern, innovative methods of species recovery and restoration.
The House of Representatives has already passed a bill that would enact meaningful reforms and help ease the man-made portion of our drought. Our California senators have some ideas of their own.
If we fail to act, families across California will be faced with higher water bills, higher food prices and an increased dependence on foreign produce.
Yet, by taking the necessary steps to ramp up conservation, increase water storage and reform our ineffective environmental and species regulatory policies, we can stop this argument of people and farms versus species and cities and realize that there is enough water for all to thrive.
Ken Calvert is the U.S. Representative for California's 42nd congressional district.