Article Author:
Associated Press
Kathleen Lonein
Sacramento, CA (AP) — California will invest tens of billions of dollars in water reuse, storage and desalination over the next 20 years. need to do it. As the state gets drier and hotter, it will increase its supply, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a proposal released Thursday. and the state is preparing to lose 10% of its water supply by 2040. Democratic governors debated the proposal at the construction site of a plant to remove salt from river water. This is the type of project the state needs more of in the next few years, he said.
His proposed water recycling goal, which would make treated wastewater safe for drinking, would cost him $27 billion by 2040. said his proposal. This was the largest price tag associated with a multi-billion dollar plan already approved in previous state budgets. It is assumed.
In total, he hopes to add nearly 3 million acre feet of water annually. One acre foot can feed about two households.
His plans also call for expanding the capacity of above-ground reservoirs and underground aquifers by about 4 million acre-feet. This is nearly enough to fill Lake Shasta, the state's largest reservoir. The new water storage infrastructure will help the state have more water during periods of heavy rain, such as the two big storms seen in California last October and December.
The proposal came during his third year of his second drought in the last decade. Most of the state's major reservoirs are well below normal levels after the state's driest period in at least a century, from January to March, which is typically the time of most rain and snow in the state.
Meanwhile, the Colorado River, an important source of water for Southern California, has reached very low levels. The Newsom administration wants to reduce its dependence on rivers and other water exports.
"We are focused on making more water," he said.
Interest in water reuse is spreading across the West as states and cities see water supplies threatened by prolonged drought. About 20 communities, including Nevada and Colorado, rely on recycled water for drinking, and more are expected.
Southern California's Metropolitan Water District, which supplies water to nearly half of the state's residents, is building a large-scale water recycling project. Congress included $1 billion in water reuse projects in the West in an infrastructure bill passed last year.
While the plan does not contain innovative ideas for water management, it does contain important details on how the state can "implement some good ideas more quickly." said Ellen Hannack, vice president and director of the Water Management Authority. Policy Center of the California Institute of Public Policy.
For water recycling, make sure there are places that not only have the technology, but also ensure that the water can be safely returned to the water supply after it has been treated or after appropriate regulation. It's important to check. she said. Newsom's plan calls on state water resource management boards to create rules for direct reuse by the end of next year.
The new proposal does not call for immediate and mandatory reductions in water use in cities and farms. Instead, he wants the water department to develop efficiency targets for all districts, but that will only come into effect next dry winter. He also suggests spending his $1 billion to remove 500,000 square feet of lawn.
He previously directed more than 400 of his local water districts in the state to implement their own plans to reduce water use, including a ban on watering ornamental lawns. , set several statewide policies. He has not set a statewide water reduction mandate.
Newsom also asked Congress to consider legislation that would allow states to reduce people's water rights even in non-drought conditions. States operate an archaic system of water rights to control where cities, farms, and others are entitled to how much water and from where. Efforts are underway to digitize records of these terms, some of which predate him by more than a century.
Desalination only accounts for about 3% of the additional water supply Newsome is requesting, most of it coming from brackish water. ocean.
His plan does not detail how much water can be obtained by removing salt from seawater, but he will develop a process for citing such projects by 2023.
"As California gets hotter and drier, we are looking at the strategic opportunities that our 840 miles of ocean shoreline offer to build water resilience." We need to be more resourceful,” said the plan. We are working on speeding up the project being done. The state has already set aside $350 million for him for hundreds of projects aimed at facilitating groundwater storage.
He has also pledged to advance seven of his water storage projects funded by his 2014 voter-passed bonds. This includes delayed reservoir projects.
Republican State Senator Brian Dahl, who will challenge Newsom in this fall's election, said he supports building more reservoirs, water reuse and desalination, but the governor's plans He pointed to the fact that the project was not completed using the bonds the state passed eight years ago.
"Whenever people wake up and say, 'I want results. I actually want some results and stop being promised or charged for not getting results.' I think," he said.