Recurrent droughts and uncertainties about future water supplies
have led several California communities to look to saltwater for
supplemental supplies through a process known as desalination.
The controversial Poseidon Water seawater desalination plant in
Huntington Beach could be in line to receive millions in state
funds from the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee. The
committee met Wednesday, a three-hour meeting during which it
partially decided how to divide up more than $4.3 billion in
tax exempt Private Activity Bonds that are available for
distribution in 2022. Most of the money — about $3.7 billion —
will go to qualified residential rental programs…. However,
the committee also voted to allocate about $510 million to
other exempt facilities, which include Poseidon.
This year, our reservoirs were reaching near historic lows in
September. We were faced with the realistic prospect of running
out of water by the summer of 2022. Then the “atmospheric
river” storm in October set rainfall records in Marin. Despite
predictions of a dry winter, the rain continued and now five of
our seven reservoirs are full, eliminating the danger of
running out of water this summer. The pendulum swung fast. But
the lessons of the past year are clear: We must prepare now for
what broad scientific consensus tells us the future holds,
particularly the extreme swings in precipitation due to climate
change. -Written by Monty Schmitt, representing San
Rafael’s District 2 as a member of the Marin Municipal Water
District Board of Directors.
Perennial water shortages in California will likely only grow
worse due to climate change. But emerging technologies offer
hope—if Californians can stop taking water for granted, says
David Feldman, UCI professor of urban planning & public policy
and director of Water UCI. Water shortages will become
more severe as both droughts and floods become more intense,
with less rain and snow falling during dry seasons and more
falling during wet ones. Capturing the excess precipitation and
saving it for dry periods will also only get more challenging.
Gov. Doug Ducey says he’s all in for desalination to augment
Arizona’s water supply which has taken a big hit during the
prolonged drought. … Desalination has been talked about in
Arizona for a long time even with the construction of the
Central Arizona Project, which supplies most of the water used
by Phoenix and Tucson. Seven states use Colorado River water
and with unprecedented growth, Lake Mead and Lake Powell are
now at only 30% capacity and dropping.
Gov. Doug Ducey has proposed setting aside $1 billion to remove
the salt from sea water and bring it to Arizona, a major legacy
project as he enters his eighth and final year in office. The
Republican governor previewed the plan but offered few details
in his annual state of the state address, delivered to a joint
session of the House and Senate. … Lawmakers also set aside
$200 million last year for future water infrastructure.
Due to California’s ongoing drought, cities in North and
Central Orange County have a greater risk of being exposed to
drinking water pollution as they rely mostly from groundwater
sources. According to attorney and water policy expert
Felicia Marcus, who is also the William C. Landreth Visiting
Fellow at Stanford University, regional officials hope to
purify this groundwater and are also actively pursuing
collaborations with local water districts in order to obtain
clean drinking water for its residents. South Orange
County, though, is not affected by this dilemma as at
least 90% of its water is imported.
A proposed ballot measure that would dedicate $100 billion to
bolster California’s water supply is drawing a sharp rebuke,
not only for the amount of spending but also for the dramatic
sidesteps it would allow in the environmental review process.
For example, the proposal would make the controversial plan for
a Huntington Beach desalination plant eligible for a huge
taxpayer subsidy — even though the private, for-profit Poseidon
Water company currently intends to pay for the $1.4 billion in
construction costs.
The Poseidon Water company has asked for $1.1 billion from a
pool of state money to help finance a controversial
desalination plant proposed for Huntington Beach. It’s a
prospect which critics argue could take those limited state
dollars away from other projects that also qualify for the
money but need it more. Like low-income housing. The
state’s housing shortage is estimated to number in the millions
of units. Meanwhile, Poseidon’s project proposal could reach
its final state regulatory hurdle toward getting approved, in
March. -Written by Brandon Pho, a Voice of OC reporter and
corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth
initiative.
The southern part of California’s Central Coast from San Luis Obispo County to Ventura County, home to about 1.5 million people, is blessed with a pleasing Mediterranean climate and a picturesque terrain. Yet while its unique geography abounds in beauty, the area perpetually struggles with drought.
Indeed, while the rest of California breathed a sigh of relief with the return of wet weather after the severe drought of 2012–2016, places such as Santa Barbara still grappled with dry conditions.
Even as stakeholders in the Colorado River Basin celebrate the recent completion of an unprecedented drought plan intended to stave off a crashing Lake Mead, there is little time to rest. An even larger hurdle lies ahead as they prepare to hammer out the next set of rules that could vastly reshape the river’s future.
Set to expire in 2026, the current guidelines for water deliveries and shortage sharing, launched in 2007 amid a multiyear drought, were designed to prevent disputes that could provoke conflict.
Although Santa Monica may be the most aggressive Southern California water provider to wean itself from imported supplies, it is hardly the only one looking to remake its water portfolio.
In Los Angeles, a city of about 4 million people, efforts are underway to dramatically slash purchases of imported water while boosting the amount from recycling, stormwater capture, groundwater cleanup and conservation. Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2014 announced a plan to reduce the city’s purchase of imported water from Metropolitan Water District by one-half by 2025 and to provide one-half of the city’s supply from local sources by 2035. (The city considers its Eastern Sierra supplies as imported water.)
This 2-day, 1-night tour offered participants the opportunity to
learn about water issues affecting California’s scenic Central
Coast and efforts to solve some of the challenges of a region
struggling to be sustainable with limited local supplies that
have potential applications statewide.
This issue examines desalination and the role it could play in
the future of water supply. In addition to an explanation of the
basics of the technology, the article looks at costs,
environmental impacts and groundwater application. Pilot
desalination projects are featured, including a much-touted
Carlsbad, Calif., facility that promises to substantially boost
that region’s water supply.
This printed issue of Western Water examines
desalination – an issue that is marked by great optimism and
controversy – and the expected role it might play as an
alternative water supply strategy.
This printed issue of Western Water looks at the energy
requirements associated with water use and the means by which
state and local agencies are working to increase their knowledge
and improve the management of both resources.
This printed issue of Western Water features a
roundtable discussion with Anthony Saracino, a water resources
consultant; Martha Davis, executive manager of policy development
with the Inland Empire Utilities Agency and senior policy advisor
to the Delta Stewardship Council; Stuart Leavenworth, editorial
page editor of The Sacramento Bee and Ellen Hanak, co-director of
research and senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of
California.
This 25-minute documentary-style DVD, developed in partnership
with the California Department of Water Resources, provides an
excellent overview of climate change and how it is already
affecting California. The DVD also explains what scientists
anticipate in the future related to sea level rise and
precipitation/runoff changes and explores the efforts that are
underway to plan and adapt to climate.
Salt. In a small amount, it’s a gift from nature. But any doctor
will tell you, if you take in too much salt, you’ll start to have
health problems. The same negative effect is happening to land in
the Central Valley. The problem scientists call “salinity” poses
a growing threat to our food supply, our drinking water quality
and our way of life. The problem of salt buildup and potential –
but costly – solutions are highlighted in this 2008 public
television documentary narrated by comedian Paul Rodriguez.
A 20-minute version of the 2008 public television documentary
Salt of the Earth: Salinity in California’s Central Valley. This
DVD is ideal for showing at community forums and speaking
engagements to help the public understand the complex issues
surrounding the problem of salt build up in the Central Valley
potential – but costly – solutions. Narrated by comedian Paul
Rodriquez.
20-minute DVD that explains the problem with polluted stormwater,
and steps that can be taken to help prevent such pollution and
turn what is often viewed as a “nuisance” into a water resource
through various activities.
Many Californians don’t realize that when they turn on the
faucet, the water that flows out could come from a source close
to home or one hundreds of miles away. Most people take their
water for granted; not thinking about the elaborate systems and
testing that go into delivering clean, plentiful water to
households throughout the state. Where drinking water comes from,
how it’s treated, and what people can do to protect its quality
are highlighted in this 2007 PBS documentary narrated by actress
Wendie Malick.
A 30-minute version of the 2007 PBS documentary Drinking Water:
Quenching the Public Thirst. This DVD is ideal for showing at
community forums and speaking engagements to help the public
understand the complex issues surrounding the elaborate systems
and testing that go into delivering clean, plentiful water to
households throughout the state.
The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to Integrated Regional Water
Management (IRWM) is an in-depth, easy-to-understand publication
that provides background information on the principles of IRWM,
its funding history and how it differs from the traditional water
management approach.
As the state’s population continues to grow and traditional water
supplies grow tighter, there is increased interest in reusing
treated wastewater for a variety of activities, including
irrigation of crops, parks and golf courses, groundwater recharge
and industrial uses.
The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta always has been at the mercy of
river flows and brackish tides.
Before human intervention, salty ocean water from the San
Francisco Bay flooded the vast Delta marshes during dry summers
when mountain runoff ebbed. Then, during winter, heavy runoff
from the mountains repelled sea water intrusion.
Recurrent droughts and uncertainties about future water supplies
have led several California communities to look to treat salty
water for supplemental supplies through a process known as
desalination.
Desalination removes salt and other dissolved minerals from water
and is one method to reclaim water for other uses. This can occur
with ocean water along the coast and in the interior at spots
that draw from ancient salt water deep under the surface or where
groundwater has been tainted
by too much salt.
It seems not a matter of if but when seawater desalination will
fulfill the promise of providing parts of California with a
reliable, drought-proof source of water. With a continuing
drought and uncertain water deliveries, the state is in the grip
of a full-on water crisis, and there are many people who see
desalination as a way to provide some relief to areas struggling
to maintain an adequate water supply.
“Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink.” – Samuel
Taylor Coleridge
For time immemorial, the seas of the Earth have been seen as an
enticing but unreachable source of fresh water. Separating the
salt from ocean water was always a cost prohibitive process,
primarily reserved to wealthy Middle Eastern nations and
small-scale operations such as ocean-bound vessels and small
islands. Otherwise, through the evolution of modern civilization,
man has depended upon lakes, rivers and groundwater – a supply
that comprises less than 3 percent of the planet’s total water.
