Where Does It Come From?

By Richard Schwartz, PE

Dwindling water resources require wise management. Water is not free.

We in southern California live in a grossly overpopulated desert environment and consume far more water than is available locally. We have, since the 1920's, imported water from far away sources to supplement local resources.

1. The Owens River: this was the first large scale importation of water into the greater Los Angeles area. A consequence of this was depopulation of the Owens Valley, transformation of Owens Lake into a salt flat, and lowering of the level of Mono Lake. Because of environmental concerns that are enacted into law, this cannot continue. The supply from the Owens River is goint to decrease.

2. The Colorado River: Growing population centers in Las Vegas and Phoenix are thirsty. We can not longer take the water they need.

3. The California Water Project: If we drain the Sacramento River, seawater will intrude into California's agricultural heartland and harm California's biggest industry (agriculture).

Consequently, we need to use the water we have wisely, we need to seek new sources, and we need to recycle wastewater wherever possible.

Water law is very complex. Visit your local library and look at the California Water Code. It is four volumes, printed on very thin bible paper. Add to this the applicable parts of the Health and Safety Code, the Fish and Game code, and the administrative decisions of various regulatory agencies, and you have a legal mess.

Most likely, your local water company pumps its water from the ground and sells it to you. The consequence of doing this is that the level of ground water drops. Two things happen: (1) as the water must be pumped from deeper levels, the energy cost of pumping increases, and (2) if the ground water level drops below sea level, salt water from the ocean seeps into the groundwater and pollutes it, thus shutting down your local wells. This has already happened; your Southern California Water Replenishment District is set up to replace the groundwater with imported and other water. The district also operates a water injection system: along the coast, fresh water is injected into the earth to crate a barrier and prevent seawater from seeping into the underground resource (which is presently at a lower level than the sea).

I urge you to read about water resources, find out where water comes from, where it goes, and how it gets there. Also, consider who profits and who suffers when water is moved in such vast quantities.

I would also remind you that it has not rained very much lately. If you have any ideas on this, share them with me at my published e-mail address. I am looking forward to a dialog with you.