My interest has certainly peaked with growth in the Western U.S. and water supply management.
I when I stumbled upon a story I remembered reading earlier this summer regarding California's proposed plan to siphon water out of northern watersheds and pump them into south-bound conveyance systems, I couldn't resist blogging about it. Supply? Check. Growing demand? Yup.
( http://www.economist.com/node/14506476 )
This is a political battle that dates well back into the 20th century. The Sacramento River is the largest in California. It has facilitated not only the growth of huge urban corridors, but also the state's rise as an agricultural giant.
Populous cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego rely on the water from piped in from far off regions, such as the Sacramento and Colorado Rivers. The Southland regions of Los Angeles, The Inland Empire (San Bernadino County), Orange County, and San Diego are all located all semi-arid climates with tiny and inconsistent stream flows. They cannot rely on local precipitation alone for supply or to naturally recharge their groundwater pumping.
With plenty of sunshine, moderate temperatures, and fertile delta soil the San Juaquin and Central Valleys are home to the largest farming industrial center in the U.S. Water that naturally feeds off of the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains fills perennial streams and rivers. These waterways confluence into a semi-brackish delta that buffers salt water from the San Francisco Bay.
( http://clutterinclarityout.com/tag/sacramento-delta/ )
Decades ago as California continued to grow in population, agriculturally, economically, and so on, politicians thought it may be wise to share some of the northerly abundance of water with the Southland cities and central farms.
The 1982 proposed project would redirect water that naturally would have fed the delta peripherally at the cost of approximately $3B.
(State Water Project http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2009/04/water-deliveries-.html )
Well, obviously there were plenty of opponents: Northern farmers; Politicians represents cities with large domestic demands such as San Francisco; Environmentalists who defended a fragile/delicate wetland ecology ... to name a few.
The proposal was defeated. In reality it was shelved because sooner or later, as the state grew and the supply remained static and degradated in quality, everybody knew the Southland population and politicians would come knocking again.
Repackaged with new labels, not peripheral tunnels, but rather "conveyances", a variation of the proposed supply reallocation has been put on the table.
( http://www.aquafornia.com/state-water-project-slideshow/ )
One of the state's main conveyance system programs, the State Water Project, will be the battle ground for Governor Brown's project. Jerry Brown's father, an earlier California governor, is known for his Quixotic water project successes and failures. Not so coincidentally, Governor Brown was the leader in the failed attempt to build the conveyance systems around the delta in the early 1980s.
So, with supplies from the north SURE to be stuck in a political stalemate for the foreseeable future, it was of my interest to find out how EXISTING infrastructure deals with growth in water demand and what policies apply to Southern California's contingency plans moving forward.
( http://www.ascelasection.org/index.php/main/pages/civil_engineering_landmarks )
( http://www.sandiego.gov/water/quality/watersources/sources.shtml )
The good news is that for the first time in California's statehood, the population shrunk last census, by something like a mere 300,000. With it's current budget crisis and cost of living going up every seeming minute, this trend may continue. However, agencies need to have contingency plans in case the population and industry goes back to trending upwards.
I do not know what percentage of the population decline is contributed from Southland cities. That is something I hope to find. But, I would imagine that most of the losses came from other areas, as Southern California is still a very desirable place to live for many.
