California’s largest supply of clean water is dependent on 50-year-old levees. Earthquakes, floods and rising sea levels could cause these levees to fail, putting our fresh water supply at risk from saltwater contamination.
The current system is inefficient and cannot adequately capture and store water when it’s available. We are leaving behind fresh water that could be used by farms, businesses and communities.
Without an update to our water infrastructure, the environment and the state’s economy are at risk. We face serious potential for disruption to our water supplies causing job loss, higher food and water prices, and significant species decline.
The current pumps are extremely powerful, causing harmful reverse flows, trapping endangered fish and pulling them toward predators. We can’t let endangered species go extinct.
WaterFix is a science-driven upgrade to our aging water system. It will provide clean, reliable water while protecting our environment. WaterFix covers five main areas:
WaterFix is supported by engineers, scientists, water experts, California businesses and environmental groups. It is the result of an unprecedented level of public review and comment, and was chosen after evaluating thousands of alternatives because it is an economically smart solution to our state’s water problem.
San Diego County's reliance on imported water is among the highest in California. Despite previous and planned local investments in desalination and recycling, most of this region's water will continue to come from distant watersheds for decades to come as far as any water planner today can see. In fact, by 2040 the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) estimates 80 percent of their supply will be imported even with water efficiency savings and increased local supplies. Nearly half of that water will come from Metropolitan Water District which gets its supply from the Colorado River and Sierra Nevada
SACRAMENTO - Last week, the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) released policy reports focused on water infrastructure and deliveries in California, which highlighted the urgency of securing water deliveries and the Governor's California WaterFix. The reports were released at their Policy Priorities for California’s Water conference in Sacramento.
Twenty-seven years ago, on Oct. 17, 1989, I was a City Council member going about my normal business in Santa Cruz. I returned home in time for game three of the Giants v A's World Series. As I settled in, the TV jumped at me. A 6.9 earthquake centered about ten miles away was shaking the region.
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