GOVERNOR ISSUES EMERGENCY DROUGHT DECLARATION, ASKS CALIFORNIANS TO CUT WATER USE BY 20%

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By Miriam Raftery

January 19, 2014 (Sacramento) – Governor Jerry Brown has issued an emergency declaration due to the third straight year of drought in California.

“We’re facing perhaps the worst drought that California has ever seen since records began being kept about 100 years ago,” the Governor said. He  asked all Californians to cut water use by 20 percent. Water conservation is voluntary for now, but could become mandatory if  conditions worsen.

The Governor also directed state agencies to hire more seasonal firefighters.

The State Water Agency offers these tips to reduce your water usage.  Find and repair leaks.  Take shorter showers or switch to a low-flow showerhead.  Turn off faucets when not in use.  Cut lawn watering to the minimum and fix broken irrigation systems, since residential irrigation accounts for a third of all urban water use. If possible, replace old toilets and clothes washers with new, more water efficient models.

Agriculture is also being hard-hit by the drought, and conditions are expected to worsen over the next few months with no significant rain forecast.  Up to 200,000 acres of farmland could be fallowed statewide.

Governnor Brown said he hopes to receive help from the federal government after issuing the emergency drought declaration.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated portions of 11 states as natural disaster areas due to the drought, including portions of California, making farmers eligible for low-interest emergency loans to cover their losses.  San Diego is not on the list of areas eligible for such help, however.

Despite the Governor’s emergency declaration, the San Diego County Water Authority issued a press release Friday stating that it has adequate supplies for 2014 because of local investments in diverse and reliable water supplies over the past two decades, along with a decline in demand for water in our region.

San Diego’s County Water Authority is not predicting a need for countywide water use restrictions beyond the Governor's request for voluntary 20% cuts. But local officials are encouraging residents and businesses to use water as efficiently as possible to avoid water waste.

The San Diego region imports about 85 percent of its water supplies, and this year’s imports are expected to be very low.  Fortunately the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the largest provider of water to our region, says it has adequate stored water reserves for this year since the San Diego region’s water users have made great strides in water-use efficiency. Per capita water use has decreased about 27 percent since 2007, and local cities and water districts are on pace to meet their state-mandated water-efficiency targets for 2020.

The Water Authority and its 24 member agencies offer rebates, tools and educational programs to improve water-use efficiency at homes, businesses and institutions. For more information, go to the WaterSmart link at www.sdcwa.org.  

In addition, the Water Authority and its member agencies have made significant investments to diversify San Diego County’s water supply sources. Conservation-and-transfer programs that are part of the Colorado River Quantification Settlement Agreement of 2003 provide a significant hedge against drought for our region. 

Another major piece of the Water Authority’s supply strategy is the Carlsbad Desalination Plant, which is under construction.  The Water Authority signed an agreement to buy up to 56,000 acre-feet of water annually from desalination project, which is expected to start commercial production in early 2016. It will produce enough locally controlled, drought-proof water to serve approximately 112,000 homes.

The Water Authority also is assessing proposed solutions to water supply challenges in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta, which is the source of about 20 percent of the San Diego region’s water supplies. It has become less reliable as a supply source in recent years and its habitat has deteriorated. The Water Authority’s Board is analyzing potential strategies for restoring the Bay-Delta through a conservation plan.

For more information about water supply and demand, go to www.sdcwa.org/water-shortage-and-drought-response.


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