Lawmakers look for drought solutions
Conserving water is something we can do now in this historic drought, but what about the long term? Lawmakers in both Washington, D.C., and Sacramento are working on finding solutions.
“Mr. Chairman, one of the worst droughts in modern history is ravaging our nation’s crops, choking our fragile economic recovery, and placing our water supply in unprecedented jeopardy,” said U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz, (D) CA.
On the House floor Thursday, Ruiz laid out the cost of doing nothing.
“Continuing to draw down groundwater supplies in California will have dangerous public health impacts,” said Ruiz.
Ruiz is asking to shift $5 million from fossil fuel research to drought relief in an amendment to HR 2028.
“This can be done with no new spending. We must put the fragile water supply above politics, above big oil and work to relieve the impacts of this harmful drought,” said Ruiz.
In Sacramento, lawmakers are also working on measures to help ease the effects of the drought, proposing a bill that would fast-track two new reservoirs. It would do so in part by speeding up the environmental review process.
“If we want to prevent a future dire situation related to drought, that will inevitably hit California again, then we have to work together today,” said Assembly Member Kristin Olsen.
The state is looking at several options, like raising Shasta Dam and building a new reservoir.
“We may be able to improve 3 to 400,000 acre-feet of reliability under the current proposal,” said Gary Bardini, deputy director of the California Department of Water Resources.
New storage facilities could cost upwards of $3 billion and would take around five years to complete and that’s if the state even decides to build it.
For farmer Dan Dewees, help can’t come soon enough.
“We’re in survival mode, that’s the bottom line,” said Dewees of Merced.
He brought lawmakers a dead almond tree to show how badly he needs new ways of getting water.
“We just want a spillway raised 10, feet which could increase our capacity. With these politicians, it’s hard to get all of this through,” said Dewees.
