Commentary: Experience can help us survive the drought
The California drought is serious! The Washington Post proclaims the “West’s historic drought stokes fears of water crisis.” California passes laws threatening to fine people who abuse water use by washing down driveways, sidewalks and patios, and penalties may be imposed if a sprinkler system sprays onto a sidewalk or the street.
This is a very frightening indication of how serious the water situation in the West really is. Unprecedented years of drought in the Colorado River watershed, and far-below-normal levels of snowpack in the Sierras, are a few of the indicators.
Some people blame it on climate change and some blame those who waste water. The farmer blames the city, and the cities blame the farmers. The finger pointing just never stops. The blame game is flourishing when it comes to water.
Southern California is a desert. Now is not the time for water leaders with very little or no experience. What we need are the seasoned veterans like those who had the vision over 80 years ago to conceive and build the Colorado aqueduct. We need visionaries like those who built the great dams on rivers to control floods and provide steady flows of water in the lower reaches of many of our rivers. Some people refer to these seasoned veterans as water buffaloes. Some would say they are too old and set in their ways. That is so far from the truth. Many people don’t realize that it’s their dedication for many years in the water industry that these great accomplishments were reached.
Possibly the most important water leaders are those who are closest to the people and their needs. It is the local water districts that interface with the ratepayers. It’s those ratepayers who actually use water and who can affect true water conservation. Local water district board directors set policies that guide a district through good and bad times. The directors set the direction for staff to move along a path to provide high-quality, reliable water to ratepayers.
Most people don’t realize that California water is purchased and imported. In our local situation, Mesa Water District boards, past and present, had the vision to make our water district independent of imported water. Approximately 30 years ago, the vision was to become 100% reliant on local water.
After many years of research and drilling wells, we now have nine wells. The goal of local resources is control and reliability. In 2013, Mesa Water celebrated that vision and goal with the dedication of the Mesa Water Reliability Facility, or MWRF. Thanks to a consensus of the current board to expand and improve technology, the MWRF has allowed Mesa Water to be the only district in Orange County with 100% locally sourced water from the Orange County groundwater basin.
But it’s not enough to be locally sourced and reliable. Each of us must take a role in conserving water. We must all do our part to save this most critical resource. Luckily our children are becoming more aware of water issues than we will ever be. They have been taught what we never were … that water is a most crucial resource and that only we and the water leaders can bring us all through this time of drought and concern.
JIM ATKINSON, who lives in Costa Mesa, is a Mesa Water District director.