Water Agencies Call For Action

California water agencies form the group, Solve The Water Crisis.

A newly formed statewide education effort, Solve the Water Crisis, was launched this past April in California. It is being spearheaded by local water agencies from across the state with diverse supporters from all regions and across all industries.

“As the State repeatedly calls for more conservation to get through the current drought, reactionary solutions to the current drought are not an acceptable or adequate policy response. There is a lack of acknowledgement on the larger and long-term picture – we are in a generational water supply crisis that is far more than just this drought and we need California policymakers to take immediate action,” says Heather Dyer, general manager of San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, and a leader of Solve the Water Crisis.

As the State responds to manage this current drought, the perpetual and systemic water crisis continues to grow, with no relief or remedy in sight, for the near term or future, states the group. Water agencies are now calling on the state to take action in response to the years of drought conditions, the repeated imposition of emergency regulations and water restrictions to reduce consumption, and the lack of progress on water infrastructure investment. The groups feels the time is now to imagine and create water infrastructure aligned with the new climate reality of significantly reduced snow-pack and increased precipitation volatility.

Credit: Solve the Water Crisis

Worsening climate conditions coupled with a population that has doubled since the development of California’s current water system requires extraordinary investment in new water supplies for today and future generations, feels the group. They say the State is still using the same water supply approach to meet the needs of 40 million residents, with constrained infrastructure and increasing regulatory limitations.

“The consequences of inaction are ongoing and will be catastrophic for the future of California and are already being felt today. We need immediate and bold State action to fundamentally change how statewide water is managed. As water managers, we know it will take big new water solutions capable of increasing water supplies in the statewide system, as well as investments in local and regional improvements to address our new climate reality that has devastated existing water supplies,” comments Paul Helliker, general manager of San Juan Water District, and also a leader in Solve the Water Crisis.

To learn more about how water shortages will affect lawn and landscape professionals, see the just-released June 2022 digital edition of Turf , dedicated to all things WATER!