California has launched its strategy to tackle declining water supplies and adapt to hotter and drier conditions. On Aug. 11, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced the plan, called “California’s Water Supply Strategy, Adapting to a Hotter, Drier Future.”
The plan calls for investing in new sources of water supplies, accelerating projects and modernizing water management through new technology. The strategy builds on $8 billion in state investments over the past two years to store, recycle, desalt and conserve the water.
The state invested $5.2 billion in California’s water systems in 2021-22, and the 2022-23 state budget includes an additional $2.8 billion for drought relief, water conservation, environmental protection for fish and wildlife and projects to strengthen drought resilience.
The state said extreme weather could diminish California’s water supply by up to 10 percent by 2040. A 10 percent loss would equate to a loss of about 6-9 million acre-feet (an acre-foot is 325,851 gallons).
“California is launching an aggressive plan to rebuild the way we source, store and deliver water so our kids and grandkids can continue to call California home in this hotter, drier climate,” Newsom said at the Antioch Brackish Water Desalination Project, where he announced the strategy.
The plan details four specific actions:
• Create storage space for up to 4 million acre-feet of water to capitalize on storms.
• Recycle and reuse at least 800,000 acre-feet of water per year by 2030.
• Free up 500,000 acre-feet of water through more efficient water use and conservation.
• Capture stormwater and desalinate ocean water and salty water in groundwater basins.
Developing new water supplies is expected to capture 1.6 million acre-feet by 2030 and 2.9 million acre-feet by 2040, with the majority of new supplies coming from recycling. Increasing storage capacity should lead to 3.7 million acre-feet by 2030 and 4 million acre-feet by 2040, which the strategy notes does not equate to a new water supply.
Ag points of interest
The plan noted that irrigated agriculture in California declined by 1 million acres from 2002-17, and the current 8 million acres of irrigated farm and ranchland will likely shrink by at least 500,000 to 1 million acres by 2040 as agencies transition to “groundwater use that is sustainable.” The strategy claims the conserved water should support a more drought-resilient ag economy.
In order to accomplish this, the strategy plans to continue implementing the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act to preserve water supplies. In addition, the state will make changes to cropping patterns and fallowing by building on its investment of $40 million in grants to regional organizations working to reduce groundwater reliance. The state will also “create local and environmental and economic opportunities through land-use changes.”
Additionally, the strategy says the state will continue to support conservation and water efficiency practices by ag users and support flexibility in local land use decisions to protect beneficial uses and users.
Finally, the state will continue its direct investment and technical assistance in drought relief for ag with dedicated funding to assist disadvantaged and underserved populations, the plan read.
For water movement systems, the strategy acknowledged the aging, damaged or increasingly risk-prone infrastructure to transport water within the state. State and federal water projects are fed by levee-lined channels in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, infrastructure that faces serious threats of failure, the plan said. Losing this water supply poses a significant risk to not only agriculture, but homes and businesses.
The Department Of Water Resources proposes to modify the State Water Project conveyance in the Delta by constructing new intakes along the Sacramento River and a tunnel under the Delta. In addition, the department would allocate $100 million from the state budget to support the costs of repairing four major damaged San Joaquin Valley canals.
“Implementation of this strategy will require decisive state action,” the plan read. “It will also require partnerships, as local agency leaders, federal partners, farmers, other business owners, and individual Californians are essential actors in carrying out this plan.”
In response to the announcement, the California Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) said in its Legislative Bulletin: “CCA will monitor and engage with any legislative and regulatory initiatives pursuant to the strategy which may impact our members.” Producers interested in more information may contact CCA Vice President of Government Affairs Kirk Wilbur at kirk@calcattlemen.org.
Western Growers applauded the measure. “Our farms are in distress due to water insecurity, increasingly placing millions of Californians in our agricultural regions at great risk of economic harm,” said President and CEO Dave Puglia in a statement.
“To adapt to climate realities, the governor’s plan recognizes the urgent need to build new and improve existing infrastructure and to streamline and improve the practicality of the regulatory processes that govern them,” he added. However, Puglia noted the organization was likely to have many questions about the plan, but they have been given reason to move forward with optimism.
Conservationists said the plan has some good aspects but pointed fingers at agriculture. “It’s really the things that aren’t in there that are most concerning,” Kate Poole, senior director of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s nature program, told the LA Times. “Agriculture obviously uses 80 percent of our developed water supply in California,” she claimed. “So, you can’t really deal effectively with water use without dealing with ‘big ag.’ And Newsom does not seem very willing to do that.”
“Targeted state funds and focus will support local efforts to conserve, capture, recycle, and de-salt enough water to allow California communities to prosper in a hotter, drier climate,” the strategy concluded. — Anna Miller,WLJ managing editor
