At the 2000 Annual Meeting, LWVS elected to review the issue of Water Supply. This EMT, prepared by the LWVS Natural Resources Director, is intended to provide some historical and contemporary background information to help facilitate a discussion of the water issue and possible solutions to meet the Sacramento area's future water needs.
Under his assumed name, borrowed from the call of a river boatman, the sage Sam Clemens insightfully penned that ""water is for fighting over". The formidable William Mulholland, Chief Engineer for the City of Los Angeles, noted "who brings the water, brings the people" as he cast his eyes northward toward the Owens Valley.
The Native American Californians generally lived in harmony with their environment and did not try to manipulate nature in any significant way. The arrival of the European immigrants in the 18th century started man's attempts to dominate nature and compete for natural resources such as water. The Spanish built small dams and diverted streams for irrigation. The Gold Rush period when "The World Rushed In" radically accelerated these efforts toward dominance and competition. Conflicts between miners over the diversion of water for their flumes and sluices sometimes resulted in violent confrontations. Will this 'warring" over water ever end? Shall this twain apart?
There have been countless "water wars", among the more noteworthy are:
In 1970, the East Bay Municipal Utility District entered a contract with the U.s. Bureau of Reclamation to obtain water diverted at Nimbus Dam and conveyed to the East Bay. Sacramentan's opposed this since it would have meant less flow in the American River for recreation, fisheries, habitat, and green-belt support.
A landmark lawsuit filed by Sacramento County and the Save the American River Association resulted in a 1990 court decision that limited the amount and timing of diversions that could be made by EBMUD.
Finally in December 2000, following a review of the economic viability and environmental impacts EBMUD has agreed, in principle to move it is point of diversion to the Sacramento River at Freeport. This will be a joint project with the City and County of Sacramento. Following detailed studies, to be completed by July. 2001, a final agreement will be developed.
Sacramento are residents receive most of their water supplies from the Sacramento and American Rivers, with a smaller amount pumped from groundwater and an even lessor amount from the Cosumnes Rivers and some local creeks. The water is provided by the Cities and County; and over 23 water and irrigation districts, and water companies.
Sacramento is fortunate to be located at the confluence of two major rivers. The Sacramento drains over 23,000 square miles of land while the American watershed is around 2000 square miles. Due a historic abundance of water the Sacramento City Charter specifically prohibits water meters in the City, which has a significantly higher than average per capita use of water.
The first water diversion was at old Sacramento. Initially a horse driven suction pump filled tanks on horse carts. The first pipes and steam-powered pumps were installed in 1852. The current Discovery Museum on Front Street is a replica of the first City Hall and Waterworks Building that was completed in 1854. It has storage tanks on the roof that were feed by steam driven pumps. The existing Sacramento River water treatment plant was completed in 1924, and is being restored. The Fairburn plant at CSUS was completed in 1964, and is scheduled to be doubled in size. Both plants will have new intake structures. There are numerous other smaller diversions from both major rivers.
The Water Forum is a diverse group of "stakeholders" formed to develop consensus solutions to the Sacramento region water supply issues. Following an exhaustive six-year effort, the Forum has developed a complex 400 page Agreement that is intended to:
"Provide a reliable and safe water Supply for the region's economic
Health and planned development to the Year 2030. and
Preserve the fishery, wildlife, Recreational and aesthetic values of the Lower American River "
This agreement spells out the allocation of water, the limits on diversions and the water requirements for maintaining and enhancing natural and recreational values.
The agreement is in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding. A MOU does not have the same. force of law as does a formal contract. The effort continues as the Water Forum Successor Effort which is intended to insure the MOU is implemented through the development of binding legal agreements along with continued dialog or persuasion.
The Forum process has included extensive negotiations along with detailed technical studies This effort has been coordinated by the City-County Office of Metropolitan Water Planning. It has been expertly facilitated by the. California Center For Public Dispute Resolution of CSUS and McGeorge School of Law. They have used the intensive methods as spelled out in the book "Getting To Yes, Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In". This process has been a long and costly one, however it should serve as a model on how to achieve the resolution without the usual legal, political, and even physical "Wars" that have characterized our numerous past water disputes.
The Water Forum "stakeholders" included:
This joint program that includes the Federal agencies: National Marine Fisheries Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Fish & Wildlife Service, and the Interior Department's Solicitor's Office: and the State Departments of Fish and Game, parks and Recreation, and Water Resources, and the Water Resources control Board. It is seeking to develop a balance solution that will permit export of water from the Delta to the South and provide extensive environmental mitigation and restoration. It administers large amount of Federal and State funding for local water related programs and projects.
This policy supports integrated planning and water conservation, and a balance between surface and groundwater usage It specifically supports the State Water Conservation Coalition MOU on urban water conservation. It also. consolidation and coordination of water agencies and planning, data collection and monitoring. It supports conjunctive use and conservation for both agricultural and urban users to reduce water needs. The LWVS supports the protection of the natural values of the American River by the court determined flow standards. It is one of the signers of the Water Forum Agreement
LWVS members are encouraged to consider the many water supply related issues and their ramifications during this period of rapid growth in the Sacramento Region. The Water Forum Agreement provides for water supply through 2030, based on the growth predicted by the 1992 County General Plan to be over 1,000,000 in added population. What would you do to accommodate future or greater than predicted growth? Please discuss and rank the suggestions listed below, and add other solutions that come to mind.