Southern California Leadership Council (SCLC) says there is a serious threat of real water shortages for much of the state because of the crisis in the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta. Failure of its strained ecosystem and its unstable levees from flood or earthquake only southern California, but users in the Bay area, San Joaquin Valley and the Central Coast. California's entire economy is at risk.
Los Angeles (PRWEB) May 4, 2008 -- As Southern California prepared for a severe cutback in water deliveries, a coalition of business leaders and former governors urged leaders in Sacramento to promote "aggressive and immediate action" on water supply and infrastructure issues.
Under terms of a federal court decision handed down in August, the Department of Water Resources is cutting its initial allocation for water deliveries in 2008. The initial allocation was already expected to be lower because of dry conditions in the Sacramento and San Joaquin regions, whose rivers feed water from the Sierra Mountain Range to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta and to State Water Project pumps.
"Approximately 60 percent of our water comes from imported supplies and Southern California is now facing extreme water supply deficiencies," the Southern California Leadership Council wrote to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders. "The combinations of the extended drought in the Colorado River Basin, the failure to implement timely and effective improvements in California's water supply infrastructure, and the recent court interference in the Bay-Delta operations have created an unprecedented crisis for the ongoing economic integrity of our State."
However, the council said "environmentally benign infrastructure improvements" can help improve the storage, capture and conveyance of water to Southern California.
"California business leaders are united in their shared perspective that this may be a once in a generational opportunity to resolve differences among stakeholders in the best solution to the Bay-Delta," the SCLC wrote. The SCLC has posted this report:
The Urgent Need for a New Water Strategy
We forget Southern California is really a semi-arid desert--brought to life by water supplies from the Colorado River, Owens Valley and State Water (Feather River) Project to supplement our local supplies. Our reliance on this imported water to meet the region's future needs puts us at ever greater risk. Future water supply reliability will increasingly depend on local self-help measures like conservation, reuse, more below ground storage of surplus supplies, and even desalination.
But more important and far more urgent is the serious threat we face today of real water shortages for much of the state because of the crisis in the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta. Failure of its strained ecosystem and its labyrinth of unstable levees from flood or earthquake threaten to gravely reduce, or even suspend, deliveries from the State Water Project serving not only southern California, but users in the Bay area, San Joaquin Valley and the Central Coast . California's entire economy is at risk!
How do we address these issues that threaten the viability of our quality of life and our economy?
First, we offer our support for a statewide solution for the Delta to address the ecosystem and to stabilize the water supply. The solution must include a new water conveyance infrastructure, funded by those who benefit from the system improvement.
Second, we must move forward on Governor Schwarzenegger's call for a statewide 20 percent "across the board" water conservation effort. The business community can demonstrate its leadership in this effort.
Third, in southern California, the Metropolitan Water District , local water agencies and the private water sector, in addition to their conservation and reuse initiatives, should begin to explore strategic efforts to partner, through the use of transportation and exchange arrangements, in the use of the extensive pipeline network and underground storage facilities throughout southern California to maximize the use of local water resources. Other regions should consider similar plans.
Finally, our state leaders need to reach agreement on a comprehensive, statewide water infrastructure plan, including bond funds for a Delta solution and local match "self-help" water reliability projects.
All this will cause our water service to cost more in the future, but going without a critically needed water supply is simply not an option.
Governor George Deukmejian
Governor Pete Wilson
Governor Gray Davis
About Southern California Leadership Council
The Southern California Leadership Council is a business-led-and-sponsored public policy partnership for the Southern California region. The Council provides proactive leadership for a strong economy, a vital business environment and a better quality of life for everyone who lives here. Founded in 2005 as a voice for the region's business community and like-minded individuals to focus and combine their efforts, the Leadership Council's objective is to help enable public sector officials, policy makers and other civic leaders to address and solve public policy issues critical to the region's economic vitality and quality of life. The Council is comprised of business and community leaders from throughout the seven counties of Southern California and four former California governors.
(Editors: For media interviews contact George McQuade, 818-340-5300 or 818-618-9229, or visit www.MayoCommunications.com or www.MayoGreenPR.com.)
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