Commentary: Time for California to 'insure' against drought

Donn Zea, commenting for the California Farm Bureau Federation: ….Unfortunately, as a state we have not planned for the worst when it comes to our water supply, especially during a warming climate. Rather than stockpiling water as insurance against drought years, California does little to capture water to save for a "dry day." Instead, we allow water to flow from our mountains into streams and rivers, ultimately ending up in the Pacific Ocean. As the water flows into the ocean, so too does our protection against drought.

…The lack of investment in California's water storage capability is startling. Forty years ago, about 20 million people lived in California. Today, nearly twice as many people live in our state… Not since Lake Oroville was completed in 1967 have we added any major improvement to our water storage capacity. As a result, when drought hits, we have an amount of water suitable for California in 1960—not 2009. Without increased storage, we would have little water to serve Californians during a drought or to release into our rivers to protect the fish and wildlife that depend on it.

A critical component to increased water storage is a proposed reservoir in Colusa County, where we are fortunate to have a natural bowl formation at the old John Sites Ranch. The California Department of Water Resources has identified this reservoir as one of the most cost-effective and environmentally beneficial alternatives for water storage in the state. DWR has included Sites in its plans for increasing water storage and states that "surface storage is particularly useful in providing drought protection."

Without damming a river and with minimal environmental disruption, water could be put in this new reservoir through existing canals that already come close to the property. When needed, the water could flow back into the Sacramento River, helping to protect fragile river ecosystems and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and providing water for Californians and our economy. The site is well above sea level so it could naturally flow downstream.

…This increased water storage would help California in a drought and against possible climate change impacts. In addition, it would help our state better manage our water to prevent flooding in Northern California, particularly Sacramento.…The Sites Reservoir site was identified as a possible water storage location more than 15 years ago. Yet today it remains only a hope for California's water crisis….

The Briones reservoir in California, shot by Wikiwatcher1, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License