The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta supplies water for two-thirds of California's population, but the reliability of the state's water supply has been declining. Scientists project that global warming will reduce the Sierra snow pack, which feeds the Delta, by at least 25 percent by 2050. Changing water temperatures and runoff patterns may have adversely affected the delta smelt, salmon and other water creatures. The Chinook salmon population declined so rapidly that in April coastal salmon fishing was banned in California and most of Oregon. And court ordered protection for the delta smelt stopped pumps that supply water to central and southern California cutting outflows by a third. The move hurt California's $30 billion agricultural industry which uses over three-fourths of the state's water. Meanwhile, two dry winters prompted Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to declare a drought in June and many localities, including the East Bay Municipal Utility District, have declared mandatory water rationing. Proposals by the governor to improve the state's water infrastructure with new dams and reservoirs face tough opposition from Democrats and environmentalists. New technological solutions such as large scale desalinization and waste water recycling may be on the horizon.
With:
Spencer Michels.
Tamara Keith.
Paul Rogers.
Peter Gleick.
Airdate: June 20, 2008.
Additional Resources
Governor to call water state of emergency
E.J. Schultz
Drought causes emergency for Marin cattle ranchers
Richard Halstead
California water projects may flow under new leadership in Legislature
George Skelton, Capitol Journal
Some officials say recycled water is answer to drought
Julia Scott, San Mateo County Times
Ways to conserve H2O around your house
Chronicle Staff Report
