California Water Wars: In a Drought Year, It’s One Battle After Another
By Tom Chandler on Jul 30, 2007 in News, Water Wars
With California in the grips of a very dry year, expect mucho noise about the battles between cities, fish and farms. Irrigators want water, cities want water, fish need water… you get the drift.
Lots has been happening,
An endangered species “one-two” punch is causing ripples on the most-excellent Aquafornia blog; water’s pouring out of the Folsom Dam (in part to replace the water that isn’t being pumped out of the delta due to the Delta Smelt) and some folks are wondering out loud if we aren’t looking at a massive fall fish kill as a result.
If you lived through California’s last years-long drought, you probably remember the voluntary restrictions which became mandatory as water supplies dried up, and — not to put it too fine a point on it — water supplies are pretty tapped out in good years.
That’s why Southern California agencies are looking at desalinazation plants, and in fact, several agencies have signed on to buy the water. Desalinzation is expensive and doesn’t get a free ride on the environmental front (it’s energy intensive), but expect to read a lot more about the technology.
A lot has been happening on the water front while I’ve been on vacation (hell, I’m still trapped in Boston by plane delays), but I’ll try to stay on top of it — and feed the Undergrounders the relevant tidbits. See you on the water, Tom Chandler.
Technorati Tags: aquafornia, water, california, folsom dam, delta smelt, desalinzation
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