Dependable Water Supply Needed
September 2007

By: Charley Wilson
President, Santa Magarita Water District Board of Directors

This year is shaping up to be California’s driest in recorded history. But the State’s water troubles have been brewing for some time. We’re now well into our eighth year of drought, despite short respites of heavy precipitation a few years ago - a situation with far-reaching ramifications.

Take, for instance, the fact that the Eastern Sierra snow pack, from which the Los Angeles basin receives a substantial part of its water, is at its second lowest level ever. Because snow melt feeds both of our primary water supplies – the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the Colorado River – Southern California’s water reserves will be affected. Lake Mead, our nation’s largest man-made reservoir, is now only half full. The conditions at many local reservoirs aren’t much better.

A few water agencies with limited reserves on hand have begun mandatory water restrictions reminiscent of the cutbacks of 1990-1991. Others are expected to join suit in the coming months after news that a Federal court will order State and Federal suppliers to cut deliveries from the Delta by up to 30 percent to protect an endangered fish.

Combine these troubles with the inconvenient truth that our State’s water infrastructure needs to be prepared for California’s growing population, and you’ve got a problem in search of a solution.

With practically no local groundwater supplies to draw from, South Orange County residents are affected because local water agencies, like Santa Margarita Water District (SMWD), are wholly dependent on water from the Colorado River or the Delta. Sustained drought, environmental litigation or an unforeseen disaster like an earthquake could limit or temporarily stop the supplies available to So Cal water districts.

As President of SMWD’s Board of Directors, I’ve often wondered why more hasn’t been done on a regional level to prepare for our current situation and the prospect of future emergencies. Together with my colleagues at SMWD, I have worked tirelessly over the last decade to learn from lessons of the past and plan responsibly for what lies ahead so that our customers can bank on a dependable water supply.

We’ve known for some time that surface storage reserves are the most practical and reliable means of storing water for emergencies. Desalination is a worthy goal, but its expensive approval and operations requirements limit its viability as a near-term solution to our problems. Misdirected time and money have been spent to publicly promote desalination with no tangible results to date, and many join me in believing these efforts would have been better spent securing additional surface storage.

With few alternatives, SMWD has aggressively pursued additional supply reliability through surface storage infrastructure. As an outspoken regional leader in this regard, our 155,000 customers now benefit from 31 reservoirs and over 240 million gallons of storage, enough to supply District customers with clean, drinkable water for up to 10 days in the event of a regional disruption. These reserves can also be tapped when imported supplies are insufficient to meet demand, like during our current drought or in the event of temporary Delta pump shutdowns.

Even with all this, it is clear more storage capacity is needed. We’re now conducting the environmental and public review process needed to allow us to build South County’s largest surface reservoir, one that will hold 236 million gallons – enough to supply drinking and cooking water for up to 162,000 families for two full weeks. Agreements are also in place with other South County districts to interconnect pipelines, allowing participating agencies to both borrow and share 12.9 million gallons of water with each other during emergencies and temporary supply reductions.

On a state-wide level, Governor Schwarzenegger recently called for special legislative sessions for further consideration of his comprehensive water funding package. The bill would provide funding to increase surface storage, complete Delta improvements and promote conservation.

These solutions are still in the future, but there’s something we all can do now. We all should be doing our part every day to conserve each and every drop we can. For more information on how to cut your water use, plus the latest news on SMWD’s efforts and Governor Schwarzenegger’s comprehensive water package, visit www.smwd.com.

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