Last year Barry Nelson of the National Resources Defense Council gave Californians a dire warning: “Look at a map of California and you will see that every major watershed has been tapped. We have hit—or passed—peak water on each of these rivers.” While it may seem ironic to say so as the Central Coast braces for a brutal rainstorm, peak water, much like peak oil, is a serious threat to California and the affluent way of life we lead here. Nelson continues: “Interestingly, this is not a controversial idea within California’s business and urban water communities. Although they may not yet use the term peak water, they are already planning for its reality.”
Last year Barry Nelson of the National Resources Defense Council gave Californians a dire warning: “Look at a map of California and you will see that every major watershed has been tapped. We have hit—or passed—peak water on each of these rivers.” While it may seem ironic to say so as the Central Coast braces for a brutal rainstorm, peak water, much like peak oil, is a serious threat to California and the affluent way of life we lead here. Nelson continues: “Interestingly, this is not a controversial idea within California’s business and urban water communities. Although they may not yet use the term peak water, they are already planning for its reality.”
Here in Santa Cruz, planners are already looking for ways to save water. They are eying College Lake, a 320-acre seasonal lake near the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. Every winter the lake fills up with rainwater. Every spring that water is pumped out so that local farmers can plant their crops there. Now the authorities are investigating whether the water in College Lake can be diverted to the Pajaro Valley, where a dearth of water is already felt.
An initial study of the option by the Department of Water Resources would cost $230,000, but it is part of a larger study that is still awaiting approval. They believe that the lake could provide 2,000 acre-feet of water for the Pajaro Valley, which is currently suffering from a 14,000-acre-feet water deficit. While that does not solve all the problems, it is no drop in the bucket, either.
While water from College Lake would have to be treated before it can be used, advocates of the plan say that this would be preferable to simply pumping it back into the ocean. It could be enough to water one-third of all the strawberries currently grown in the county.
Nelson’s warning is ominous: “We have passed peak water,” he says, “and climate change will further reduce supplies from our rivers in the future.” Perhaps it is time to tap whatever water we can. Read more at NRDC and the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
