Preparing for climate change: California’s huge investment in water storage

On Tuesday, the California Water Commission completed a groundbreaking process to make the state’s largest investment in water storage in a generation. With the commission’s action, eight diverse projects around the state are in line to receive nearly $2.7 billion from Proposition 1, approved by voters in 2014.

These projects – including $816 million for the Sites reservoir north of Sacramento – could add 4.3 million acre-feet of new water storage both above and below ground, better preparing California for climate change and drought.

Opinion
This is good news for Californians because we desperately need more places to capture and store water during wet times to manage through inevitable droughts. Climate change, which already is reducing the Sierra snowpack and challenging our water delivery system, makes it even more critical to add storage in as many different forms as possible.

That’s why the Brown administration’s California Water Action Plan calls for investments in reservoirs and groundwater storage as part of an “all-of-the-above” strategy that also includes increased conservation, groundwater management, water recycling, desalination and more.

That […]

More about investing in water infrastructure:

Desalination Produces 50 Percent More Toxic Brine Than Previously Thought

Defying water suppliers, Palo Alto backs Bay-Delta Plan

Water Asset Management: Hunting Liquid Assets

Opinion: Infrastructure Bill Shouldn’t Ignore Our Aging Water Systems

The water industry should be taken into public ownership

San Francisco’s green-grey infrastructure

10 facts about water policy and infrastructure in the USA

Summary
Preparing for climate change: California's huge investment in water storage
Article Name
Preparing for climate change: California's huge investment in water storage
Description
California's Water Action Plan calls for "all-of-the-above" - incl. reservaoirs, aqueducts, conservation, groundwater management, recycling, desalination...
Author
Publisher Name
The Sacramento Bee
Publisher Logo