Rethinking California Water
With key decisions ahead regarding the Delta, water system improvements and financing, California water is at a pivotal moment.
ACWA's new communications initiative -- Rethinking California Water -- is aimed at bringing fresh perspective to the current water policy debate. ACWA hopes to inject some common sense concepts and observations into the current conversation to help policy leaders think differently about how we view and solve California's water challenges.
We have created this space to compile opinion pieces, blog posts and related resources. Watch for installments on topics ranging from the Delta to local resources development to the value of water, just to name a few.
Opinion Piece: Storing Water is an Old Concept that Takes on New Importance
This installment by ACWA members members Jerry Brown and Thaddeus Bettner ran in the Contra Costa Times and the San Jose Mercury News on April 14, 2013. The piece explains why investments in water storage must be part of an "all-of-the-above" approach to create a sustainable water delivery system in California.
"In our grandparents' era, water storage projects were a means to increase supply. Today, they are more about building operational flexibility to meet 21st-century needs." -- Jerry Brown and Thaddeus Bettner
Read the complete piece here.
Opinion Piece: All Agree That We Need Better Water Delivery in California
This installment by ACWA President Randy Record and ACWA Vice President John Coleman ran in the LA Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, San Bernardino Sun, Torrance Daily Breeze, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Redlands Daily Facts, Pasadena Star-News and Whitter Daily News on March 26, 2013. The piece focuses on how interests who have previously been at odds are all agreeing that California must improve the way water is conveyed through the Delta and invest in storage.
"As leaders of local water agencies -- one in Southern California that relies on water conveyed through the Delta and one in Northern California that diverts water upstream of the Delta -- we think this moment is historic. Delta conveyance facilities and additional storage, whether above or below ground, have long been portrayed as the third-rail of politics in California. Acknowledgment from diverse quarters that more modern conveyance and storage are needed is a huge boost to the current conversation." -- Randy Record and John Coleman
Read the complete piece here.
Thirsty for More?
Here are some links that provide more background and information
- Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP)
- Portfolio-Based Bay Delta Conservation Plan Conceptual Alternative
- Conceptual Alternative Cover Letter, Jan. 16, 2013
- Urban Agency Letter, Jan. 16, 2013
- California's Water Series: Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (video)
- ACWA's Delta Conveyance Policy Principles (pdf)
Opinion Piece: California Water System Upgrade Overdue
This piece by ACWA Executive Director Timothy Quinn, published Jan. 7, 2013, in The San Francisco Chronicle, emphasizes the need to upgrade the state's water system to 21st century standards.
"In sector after sector, industries have made advancements to keep pace with a constantly changing world. ... Yet there is one major area where modernization is long overdue: our statewide water system. Despite its essential role in our economy, California's backbone water-delivery system no longer performs to today's standards. We shouldn't be satisfied with that." -- Timothy Quinn
Read the complete piece here.
Thirsty for More?
Here are some links that provide more background and information
- PPIC Report: Water and the California Economy
- LA Times: Metropolitan Water District wages costly war with nature and age
- Black & Veatch Report: 2012 Strategic Directions in the U.S. Water Utility Industry
- California's Water Series: Water Supply Reliability through Innovation (video)
- ACWA Spring 2012 Conference Keynote: Dan McNichol - Building Bold (video)
Blog Post: Resist the "Bumper Sticker" Mentality: Fixing Delta is Part of Getting to a Sustainable Water System
This Oct. 17, 2012, piece by ACWA Executive Director Timothy Quinn notes that much has changed since the peripheral canal debate of 1982. Everything from our scientific thinking to technology to water management strategies has evolved in the past 30 years. We know we must move to a more sustainable water system, and resolving ecosystem and water supply problems in the Delta is a key step on that road.
"The next few months promise to be a lively time in California water. It will be critical to remember that we can solve the state’s water problems only when we act as one state. Working together – and resisting the north vs. south bumper sticker – offers our best opportunity to move forward with the integrated actions required for a reliable water system." -- Timothy Quinn
Read the complete blog post here.
Viewpoints: Collaboration Needed to Solve Water Problems
This piece by ACWA President Randy Record and Vice President John Coleman, published Sept. 7, 2012, in The Sacramento Bee, makes the case of statewide solutions to long-term water supply and ecosystem problems in the Delta.
"Resolving long-term water supply and ecosystem problems in the Delta is not a matter of one region vs. another. It’s about recognizing that the status quo is not working for the state as a whole, and finding solutions that work for all Californians." -- Randy Record and John Coleman
Read the complete piece here.
Thirsty for More?
Here are some links that provide more background and information
- Bay Delta Conservation Plan
- ACWA's Delta Conveyance Policy Principles
- Aquafornia Exclusive: Why the Delta matters to every Californian
- California's Water: Sacramento Valley Working Together Pays Off (Video)
- L.A. Times Editorial: California's way forward on water
More information
For more information about the “Rethinking California Water” initiative, contact ACWA Director of Communications Lisa Lien-Mager.
