The drought is affecting all of California, but San Diego County, where I live, is going to feel the effects acutely. San Diego is, as my friends in the Bay Area like to say, reclaimed desert. As such we are dependent upon imported water. The San Diego County Water Authority, is responsible for supplying over 90 percent of the county's water. This means that if you drink from your tap, water your lawn or crops, take a shower or bath you are dependent up on the SDCWA.
Most of San Diego County seems to be unaware that we are in such a major crisis. The Voice of San Diego recently interviewed Ken Weinberg of the San Diego County Water Authority and the article showed how big of a crisis San Diego is facing . Below are some excerpts from the interview.
The whole article can be found here.
On a scale of 1-10 (1 being ideal and 10 being bad), how bad is our water supply situation right now?
This year I’d put us around a 7 moving to an 8.
This weekend, you’re taking a walk on the beach. And there’s a little lamp there. You rub it, and a genie comes out and says: Ken! I’ll give you three wishes about the world of water in California. So you can’t wish for world peace or anything. What are your three wishes?
Let’s see. A peripheral canal-type of solution in the delta. Large-scale seawater desalination. And efficient irrigation. Those are the three things, the key pieces to getting some certainty in long-term reliability in our supply in San Diego County.
Sitting here in June 2008, how likely is mandatory rationing?
If we get another dry year in 2009, there’s a good likelihood of rationing, just to protect storage. Because you don’t know when the end is in sight.
It looks like there will be a real ballot fight in November over the future of the California's water supply.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
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