Even in a good rain year, water supply still a concern
June 25, 2011
This year’s record-level snow pack and rainy weather that continued into late spring have lifted California’s state of emergency on drought conditions. Does this mean our worries about water availability are over?
Unfortunately, no. As recent experience teaches us, the tipping point from abundant water to a lack of water is cyclical in our region and that is not going to change.
An interesting brain teaser I like to pose to people is: how much water is on the planet now versus when the planet was newly formed? The answer amazingly is exactly the same. You see, water never ceases to exist and it can’t escape the atmosphere, so it is constantly just changing form, from solid (ice) to liquid (water) to in between (gas).
The real question isn’t how much water, but what form is it in and where is it located? And most importantly is it drinkable? The vast majority of water on the planet is not drinkable. Only .007 percent of the water on the planet is pure enough for humans to drink, according to the Environmental Management and Policy Research Institute.
Unfortunately for us in Southern California, and especially those in the arid inland regions, most of where we live is technically, and sometimes literally, a desert. By definition, we should always be worried about our supply of water in the Inland Empire and especially wary of new threats that emerge.
In 2005, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a habitat conclusion that existing
Santa Ana sucker fish conservation efforts undertaken by local water agencies in collaboration with the state Department of Fish and Game were sufficient and that expanding critical habitat areas for the endangered fish was not essential for the conservation of the species and “would provide little benefit to the Santa Ana Sucker.”
This has prompted 12 water agencies serving nearly 3 million residents in San Bernardino and Riverside counties to formally warn the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that they intend to sue unless the agency rescinds its recent expansion of critical habitat areas for the Santa Ana sucker because of the disastrous effects that further water use restrictions would have on the region, including an estimated loss of $2.9 billion, according to a regional economist.
The decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to expand critical habitat areas for the Santa Ana Sucker into the dry areas north of the 10 Freeway “will literally shut down a good deal of the inland area’s economy if allowed to stand,” according to John Husing, a Redlands-based economist who has studied the region for 47 years.
Water agency documents filed with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before the ruling indicated that it could annually mean the loss of 125,800 acre-feet of San Bernardino Mountains water. As a result, inland water providers could be forced to spend at least $2.9 billion in ratepayer money over the next 25 years for additional imported water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, assuming that water would be available.
So it is not just natural occurrences that threaten our water supply, but unnatural ones such as the Santa Anta sucker ruling that now appears to be headed for the courts. Our access to a clean and available water supply is unfortunately tenuous, and that means our economic future is tenuous as well unless we confront the problem together.
On Aug. 26, the San Bernardino County Water Conference will gather regional and national representatives to discuss how we can collaborate to meet water demands today, tomorrow and in the future. This year the event will be interactive to encourage participation from diverse points of view. San Bernardino County will also highlight its regional vision for water.
I invite all, especially those representing water agencies and city governments, to attend the water conference and participate. It is a great opportunity for businesses, water agencies and government officials to collaborate and share ideas and successes.
The conference will be held from 8 a.m. to noon at the Double Tree Hotel, 222 N. Vineyard Ave., Ontario. A continental breakfast will be served from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. For more information call 866-737-4880 or visitwww.sbcwater.com.
Brad Mitzelfelt is vice chairman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors. He represents the 1st District.
Source: http://www.sbsun.com/pointofview/ci_18260353
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