<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"><head><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml><o:OfficeDocumentSettings><o:AllowPNG/><o:PixelsPerInch>96</o:PixelsPerInch></o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--></head><body><div class="ydp649e3609yahoo-style-wrap" style="font-family:garamond, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"> <div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"> <div class="ydpf2fa2bd3page-header-end"><div class="ydpf2fa2bd3dss-header ydpf2fa2bd3bar-dss" data-reg-role="base" data-reg-rendered="data-reg-rendered"><div data-reg-role="button_desktop"></div><div data-reg-role="navigation"></div><a href="https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-09-04/newsom-water-supply-strategy-falls-short#" data-reg-handler="toggleNavigation" data-reg-username="Tom Stokely" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a></div> </div><div class="ydpf2fa2bd3page-header-end"> </div><div class="ydpf2fa2bd3dss-toaster" data-reg-role="prompt"></div><div><a href="https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-09-04/newsom-water-supply-strategy-falls-short" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-09-04/newsom-water-supply-strategy-falls-short</a></div><h1 class="ydpf2fa2bd3headline"> Editorial: Newsom’s water supply plan is only half-full </h1> <div class="ydpf2fa2bd3page-lead-media"> <img class="ydpf2fa2bd3image" alt="A kayaker fishes in Lake Oroville on Aug. 22, 2021." src="https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8d59777/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5073x3343+0+0/resize/1200x791!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe5%2F52%2F60c22f05201fc20d28cd627fd86e%2F31a9db22660840a58b2e13bc4709df5c" style="width: 100%; max-width: 800px;"> <div class="ydpf2fa2bd3figure-content"> <div class="ydpf2fa2bd3figure-caption">A kayaker fishes in Lake Oroville on Aug. 22, 2021. </div><div class="ydpf2fa2bd3figure-credit">(Associated Press)</div> </div> </div> <div class="ydpf2fa2bd3byline"> <div class="ydpf2fa2bd3authors"> <div class="ydpf2fa2bd3author-name"><span class="ydpf2fa2bd3byline-prefix">By</span> <a class="ydpf2fa2bd3link" href="https://www.latimes.com/people/the-times-editorial-board" data-click="standardBylineAuthorName" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Times Editorial Board</a> </div> </div> <span class="ydpf2fa2bd3published-date-day">Sept. 4, 2022 </span><span class="ydpf2fa2bd3published-time">5 AM PT </span> </div> <div class="ydpf2fa2bd3page-article-body"> <div class="ydpf2fa2bd3rich-text-article-body"><div class="ydpf2fa2bd3rich-text-article-body-content ydpf2fa2bd3rich-text-body" data-subscriber-content=""><p>Amid
California’s very hot and very dry summer, with reservoir levels
dropping to historic lows and parched mountainsides yielding little
melting snow, a key state official <a class="ydpf2fa2bd3link" href="https://onthepublicrecord.org/2022/07/16/on-your-watch/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">posted a blistering critique</a> of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s response to the threatened water supply.</p><p><a class="ydpf2fa2bd3link" href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-07-28/california-drought-official-blasts-newsom-administration" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Max Gomberg</a>,
water conservation and climate change manager at the State Water
Resources Control Board, quit in July and wrote a resignation letter
charging that Newsom hasn’t let the board do the work it must do to
properly manage the state’s water. His note cited, among other things, a
need to “quickly and permanently [reduce] agriculture to manage the
loss of water to aridification.”</p><p>The following month, Newsom presented a <a class="ydpf2fa2bd3link" href="https://www.gov.ca.gov/2022/08/11/governor-newsom-announces-water-strategy-for-a-hotter-drier-california/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Water Supply Strategy</a>
that lays out his program for adapting to a future with at least 10%
less usable water within the next two decades because of changing
climate patterns. California is getting less rain and snow when we need
it and more heat, drawing moisture from the landscape. </p><p>The most
welcome aspect of the document is the straightforward terms used to
discuss the looming crisis. For example, rather than merely discussing
how California can rebound from a drought — a <a class="ydpf2fa2bd3link" href="https://www.latimes.com/opinion/newsletter/2021-05-08/drought-california-climate-change-opinion" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">difficult but</a><a class="ydpf2fa2bd3link" href="https://www.latimes.com/opinion/newsletter/2021-05-08/drought-california-climate-change-opinion" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> temporary dry period</a>
— there is an acknowledgment that the state will continue to get hotter
and drier. But in leveling with Californians, the governor could stand
to be even more frank. Much of the state is in danger of becoming
desert.</p><div class="ydpf2fa2bd3enhancement" data-click="enhancement" data-align-center=""> <div class="ydpf2fa2bd3promo-wrapper"><div class="ydpf2fa2bd3promo-media" data-click="media"><a class="ydpf2fa2bd3link ydpf2fa2bd3promo-placeholder" href="https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-03-21/california-drought-water-conservation" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> <img class="ydpf2fa2bd3image" alt="Fort Bragg, CA - August 11: A traffic sign along Highway 1 in Fort Bragg, CA, rotates messages, with Please Conserve Water, and Stage 3 Emergency, alerting drivers to the town's move to a stage 3 water emergency, an overall 20-30% reduction in water use, since the emergency was first declared in April, photographed Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)" data-srcset="https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ddf64cc/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4880x3253+0+0/resize/110x73!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffd%2F17%2F04b43acc4e218d44b53447b2a372%2Fla-photos-1staff-819125-me-mendocino-coast-drought-jlc-0811-15424.JPG 110w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9a9bbe0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4880x3253+0+0/resize/180x120!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffd%2F17%2F04b43acc4e218d44b53447b2a372%2Fla-photos-1staff-819125-me-mendocino-coast-drought-jlc-0811-15424.JPG 180w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7d4cdf8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4880x3253+0+0/resize/320x213!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffd%2F17%2F04b43acc4e218d44b53447b2a372%2Fla-photos-1staff-819125-me-mendocino-coast-drought-jlc-0811-15424.JPG 320w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/365126f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4880x3253+0+0/resize/568x379!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffd%2F17%2F04b43acc4e218d44b53447b2a372%2Fla-photos-1staff-819125-me-mendocino-coast-drought-jlc-0811-15424.JPG 568w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/42ac521/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4880x3253+0+0/resize/768x512!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffd%2F17%2F04b43acc4e218d44b53447b2a372%2Fla-photos-1staff-819125-me-mendocino-coast-drought-jlc-0811-15424.JPG 768w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/4bac70d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4880x3253+0+0/resize/840x560!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffd%2F17%2F04b43acc4e218d44b53447b2a372%2Fla-photos-1staff-819125-me-mendocino-coast-drought-jlc-0811-15424.JPG 840w" data-sizes="100vw" data-src="https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/4bac70d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4880x3253+0+0/resize/840x560!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffd%2F17%2F04b43acc4e218d44b53447b2a372%2Fla-photos-1staff-819125-me-mendocino-coast-drought-jlc-0811-15424.JPG" src="https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/4bac70d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4880x3253+0+0/resize/840x560!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffd%2F17%2F04b43acc4e218d44b53447b2a372%2Fla-photos-1staff-819125-me-mendocino-coast-drought-jlc-0811-15424.JPG" data-inlineimagemanipulating="true" style="width: 100%; max-width: 800px;"> </a></div><div class="ydpf2fa2bd3promo-content"><div class="ydpf2fa2bd3promo-title-container"><p class="ydpf2fa2bd3promo-category" data-click="category"><a class="ydpf2fa2bd3link" href="https://www.latimes.com/opinion" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Opinion</a></p> <h3 class="ydpf2fa2bd3promo-title" data-click="title"> <a class="ydpf2fa2bd3link" href="https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-03-21/california-drought-water-conservation" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Editorial: California’s drought response isn’t working. It’s time to order cuts in water use. </a> </h3> </div><p class="ydpf2fa2bd3promo-timestamp" data-date="March 21, 2022" data-shouldshowdate="true" data-shouldshowtime="true" data-timestamp="1647864014488" data-show-timestamp="true">March 21, 2022</p></div></div> </div><div class="ydpf2fa2bd3teads-adCall"></div><div class="ydpf2fa2bd3teads-adCall"></div><div class="ydpf2fa2bd3enhancement" data-click="enhancement" data-align-center=""><div class="ydpf2fa2bd3google-dfp-ad-wrapper" style="min-height: 270px" data-min-height="270" data-ad-rendered="true"><div class="ydpf2fa2bd3google-dfp-ad-caption">Advertisement</div><div id="ydpf2fa2bd3google-ad4af62f94-283b-47c0-b365-1a7bd6c0b081" class="ydpf2fa2bd3google-dfp-ad ydpf2fa2bd3injected" data-slot-name="/21787098806/web.latimes/opinion" data-slot-sizes="[[5, 1]]" data-module-targeting="{instart: false}" data-current-size="[5,1]" data-hold-size="[5,1]" style="min-height: 31px;" data-google-query-id="CPSX1OmZiPoCFYTfYgodTF4N8Q"><div style="border-color: currentcolor; border-style: none; border-width: 0pt;"></div></div></div></div><p>As
for proposed actions, the plan is more a recapitulation of existing
programs and policies, most of them inadequate, than a bold new response
to the belated official realization that California needs far more than
drought resilience. It is not a plan to prevent a <a class="ydpf2fa2bd3link" href="https://civicas.net/news-blog/2018/2/9/cape-town-is-running-out-of-water-is-los-angeles-next" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">supply crisis like the one in South Africa</a>, which has a similar climate, and in 2017 <a class="ydpf2fa2bd3link" href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/City%20strategies,%20plans%20and%20frameworks/Cape%20Town%20Water%20Strategy.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cape Town</a> came close to becoming the world’s first major city to run out of water (the emergency remains dire in much of the region). </p><p>Newsom
is correct to note that conservation alone will be insufficient. But
California still needs to reduce its water use, and to a greater degree
than the governor has ordered or proposes in his supply plan. His
predecessor imposed the first-ever statewide <a class="ydpf2fa2bd3link" href="https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-water-cut-targets-20150415-story.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">mandatory water-use restrictions</a>
in 2015. The current shortage is even more severe, yet Newsom demanded
only voluntary cuts during the recent record-setting arid winter.
Californians didn’t cut back, perhaps because the governor’s response
seemed to downplay the emergency.</p><p>Turf-removal programs and
water-limiting plumbing standards are fine programs but have been in
place for decades. We need pricing structures and conservation
incentives updated to reflect projected 2040 supplies, and not just
bounties for ripping out lawns.</p><p></p><div class="ydpf2fa2bd3enhancement" data-click="enhancement" data-align-center=""><div id="ydpf2fa2bd3nativo_1"> </div></div><p>Newsom
promotes water recycling, yet his 800,000 acre-foot annual target is
actually a rollback from 20-year-old state goals. State funding is
helping ambitious programs like the Metropolitan Water District’s
recycling plant in Carson or the city of Los Angeles’ proposed
conversion of the Hyperion treatment plant into a water purification and
distribution complex, but not enough. The need is great, and immediate.</p><div class="ydpf2fa2bd3enhancement" data-click="enhancement" data-align-center=""> <div class="ydpf2fa2bd3promo-wrapper"><div class="ydpf2fa2bd3promo-media" data-click="media"><a class="ydpf2fa2bd3link ydpf2fa2bd3promo-placeholder" href="https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-05-06/editorial-there-is-no-drought" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> <img class="ydpf2fa2bd3image" alt="PARADISE, CALIFORNIA--NOV. 15, 2018--An ariel view of Paradise off of Clark Road on Nov. 15, 2018. The Camp Fire has burned more than 7,000 structures in Paradise. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)" data-srcset="https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/1ed7803/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2679x1786+161+0/resize/110x73!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fac%2F53%2Fdab25b4a45be82b4ace2ae953cee%2F3065358-me-1115-drone-paradise-07-cmc.JPG 110w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b366ecc/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2679x1786+161+0/resize/180x120!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fac%2F53%2Fdab25b4a45be82b4ace2ae953cee%2F3065358-me-1115-drone-paradise-07-cmc.JPG 180w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9fdfe91/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2679x1786+161+0/resize/320x213!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fac%2F53%2Fdab25b4a45be82b4ace2ae953cee%2F3065358-me-1115-drone-paradise-07-cmc.JPG 320w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e0c5e8c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2679x1786+161+0/resize/568x379!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fac%2F53%2Fdab25b4a45be82b4ace2ae953cee%2F3065358-me-1115-drone-paradise-07-cmc.JPG 568w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/aab8eba/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2679x1786+161+0/resize/768x512!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fac%2F53%2Fdab25b4a45be82b4ace2ae953cee%2F3065358-me-1115-drone-paradise-07-cmc.JPG 768w,https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/91804b8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2679x1786+161+0/resize/840x560!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fac%2F53%2Fdab25b4a45be82b4ace2ae953cee%2F3065358-me-1115-drone-paradise-07-cmc.JPG 840w" data-sizes="100vw" data-src="https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/91804b8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2679x1786+161+0/resize/840x560!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fac%2F53%2Fdab25b4a45be82b4ace2ae953cee%2F3065358-me-1115-drone-paradise-07-cmc.JPG" src="https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/91804b8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2679x1786+161+0/resize/840x560!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fac%2F53%2Fdab25b4a45be82b4ace2ae953cee%2F3065358-me-1115-drone-paradise-07-cmc.JPG" data-inlineimagemanipulating="true" style="width: 100%; max-width: 800px;"> </a></div><div class="ydpf2fa2bd3promo-content"><div class="ydpf2fa2bd3promo-title-container"><p class="ydpf2fa2bd3promo-category" data-click="category"><a class="ydpf2fa2bd3link" href="https://www.latimes.com/opinion" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Opinion</a></p> <h3 class="ydpf2fa2bd3promo-title" data-click="title"> <a class="ydpf2fa2bd3link" href="https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-05-06/editorial-there-is-no-drought" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Editorial: There is no drought</a> </h3> </div><p class="ydpf2fa2bd3promo-timestamp" data-date="May 6, 2021" data-shouldshowdate="true" data-shouldshowtime="true" data-timestamp="1620302426655" data-show-timestamp="true">May 6, 2021</p></div></div> </div><p>Desalination
of seawater and brackish groundwater is appropriately part of the
governor’s plan but because of energy and operating costs will never be
the comprehensive or quick-fix solution that many imagine.</p><p>Nor
will more dams, notwithstanding a handful of solid and cost-effective
projects that should go forward. The water level at Lake Mead is already
so low that states relying on the Colorado River had to accept
unprecedented cuts to their supplies. California won’t be saved by
building more reservoirs that we can’t fill. </p><p>Most notably, the
missing link in Newsom’s Water Supply Strategy is the very thing Gomberg
noted on his way out the door: a plan to <a class="ydpf2fa2bd3link enhancr_card_3332553027" href="https://www.latimes.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/story/2022-08-16/gov-newsom-drought-animal-agriculture" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">reduce use by agriculture</a>. </p><div><br></div><div id="ydp8d79a193enhancr_card_3332553027" class="ydp8d79a193yahoo-link-enhancr-card ydp8d79a193ymail-preserve-class ydp8d79a193ymail-preserve-style" style="max-width:400px;font-family:YahooSans, Helvetica Neue, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" data-url="https://www.latimes.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/story/2022-08-16/gov-newsom-drought-animal-agriculture" data-type="YENHANCER" data-size="MEDIUM" contenteditable="false"><a href="https://www.latimes.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/story/2022-08-16/gov-newsom-drought-animal-agriculture" style="text-decoration-line: none !important; text-decoration-style: solid !important; text-decoration-color: currentcolor !important; color: rgb(0, 0, 0) !important;" class="ydp8d79a193yahoo-enhancr-cardlink" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><table class="ydp8d79a193card-wrapper ydp8d79a193yahoo-ignore-table" style="max-width:400px" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td width="400"><table class="ydp8d79a193card ydp8d79a193yahoo-ignore-table" style="max-width:400px;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgb(224, 228, 233);border-radius:2px" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td class="ydp8d79a193card-primary-image-cell" style="background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); 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background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-size: auto; position: relative; z-index: 2; width: 100%; max-width: 400px; border-radius: 0px 0px 2px 2px; border-top: 1px solid rgb(224, 228, 233);" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" align="center"><tbody><tr><td style="background-color:#ffffff;padding:16px 0 16px 12px;vertical-align:top;border-radius:0 0 0 2px"><img class="ydp8d79a193card-object-1 ydp8d79a193yahoo-ignore-inline-image ydp8d79a193ymail-preserve-class" src="https://s.yimg.com/nq/storm/assets/enhancrV2/23/logos/latimes.png" style="min-width:36px;margin-top:3px" height="36"></td><td style="vertical-align:middle;padding:12px 24px 16px 12px;width:99%;font-family:YahooSans, Helvetica Neue, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;border-radius:0 0 2px 0"><h2 class="ydp8d79a193card-title" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 0px 6px; font-family: YahooSans, Helvetica Neue, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(29, 34, 40); max-width: 314px;">Letters to the Editor: On drought, Gov. Newsom ignores the cow in the room</h2><p class="ydp8d79a193card-description" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(151, 158, 168);">The state's 'aggressive' drought plan won't work if it allows animal agriculture to continue guzzling water.</p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><p>Farming
uses 80% of all water diverted for human use in the state. And as
aridity increases, agricultural acreage expands, and much of it is
devoted not to annual crops like vegetables that allow fields to lie
fallow in particularly dry years, but perennial orchard crops, like
almonds, that demand constant irrigation even — and in fact especially —
during dry years.</p><p>A water-wise California that continues to
thrive in coming decades cannot survive without fallowing or retiring a
portion of farmland that sucks up too much of the state’s water supply.
There is little dispute about that. The only remaining question is
whether we will face the key decisions head-on to determine which land
will be fallowed, when that needs to happen and what compensation would
be provided — or else proceed haphazardly, using up precious water and
risk passing Cape Town as the spot on the globe most likely to run dry.</p></div></div> </div></div><div><br></div></div></div></body></html>