What water supplies are available to the Pass in an emergency?
We live in an area bisected by five earthquake fault lines. What happens if an earthquake radically changes the structure of our water basins and we suddenly lose a major amount of groundwater? Where will the water come from to fill our needs? I have been told we can always "buy it" from an agency like MWD. Yet, if we had a reservoir built for the Pass, we wouldn't have to rely on outside agencies in any kind of emergency.
Think it can't happen? In the Hector Mine Quake, the water table in the Yucca Valley area dropped 500 feet. (and Hemet Valley gained 200 feet). All of our basins are intersected by rock thrusts along fault lines. We could gain or lose water in an earthquake. A major water basin loss could devastate communities. Wouldn't it be better to begin the process of acquiring an outside reservoir, not just relying on filling our basins?
MWD realized years ago that its best water management practice was to buy, create, and have as many alternative sources of water as possible. I believe we should be thinking and acting as MWD did in order to protect the water needs of current and future customers.
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