[env-trinity] San Diego Union-Tribune 8/7/10

[Byron Leydecker]

Well, no kiddin'.

 

Conservation, local supplies key to water future

San Diego Union-Tribune-8/7/10

By Mike Lee

 

San Diego County residents must rely more on their own resources for water
in the future, according to the 25-year-plan being crafted by the
drought-wracked Metropolitan Water District.

 

The agency, which provides wholesale water across Southern California, is
reaching out to residents for help updating its long-term supply blueprint
(http://www.mwdh2o.com/irp). The document underscores a shift in
Metropolitan's approach, which once focused on importing water and now
includes a variety of conservation and acquisition programs.

 

"We must adapt in order to remain reliable, and that means having realistic
expectations on our imported supplies and looking within our service area
for increasing supplies and lowering demands," said Debra Man, assistant
general manager for Metropolitan. "This will lead to fundamental changes in
the way our water supply needs and reliability goals are met."

 

Pumping restrictions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and a series of dry
years continue to limit deliveries from Northern California. Meanwhile,
Metropolitan's other imported water source-the Colorado River-remains in a
10-year drought, with Lake Mead at its lowest level in more than 40 years.

 

Man said the agency's draft strategy proposes to maintain Metropolitan's
baseline imported water supplies from Northern California and the Colorado
River while expanding local programs to meet future demands. Water saved
through conservation is expected to be greater than any single source of
supply in the years ahead.

 

Metropolitan is holding a public meeting about its strategy in San Diego
from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Ramada Conference Center, 5550 Kearny
Mesa Road in San Diego.

 

"(Public) input will be essential in determining the right combination of
imported deliveries and continued regional and local investments in water
conservation, recycling, groundwater cleanup and ocean water desalination to
meet future demands," Man said.

 

 

Byron Leydecker, JcT

Chair, Friends of Trinity River

PO Box 2327

Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327

415 383 4810 land/fax

415 519 4810 mobile

 <mailto:bwl3 at comcast.net> bwl3 at comcast.net

 <mailto:bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org> bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org
(secondary)

 <http://fotr.org/> http://www.fotr.org 

 

 

 

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