BRT Insights - WW Kayaking & Hiking

Don't build dams that we don't need and cannot afford

The "California Chamber of Commerce filed four initiatives that could lead to a November bond measure of $10 billion or more for dams and other projects." (California on course for another water debacle - sacbee 07dec2007.)

"The move sets up a potential ballot-box showdown between competing solutions to the state's water woes – a Republican-backed plan that places an emphasis on dams and a Democratic proposal that focuses on groundwater storage and conservation." (Businesses float water bond plan - sacbee 06dec2007.)

The high costs and low benefits of dams and surface water storage have been illustrated by Rex Babin. (Surface storage - sacbee 06dec2007.)

State Senator Perata's competing water initiatives are focused on conservation, recycling and underground storage of water. (Water Proposals - Senator Don Perata.) Perata's plan is clearly the most cost-effective and the one that would yield the most rapid improvements in our present water supply problems.

California has enough water supplies if we stop wasting them.

"California has enough water to meet its needs today and tomorrow without new dams, peripheral canals or catastrophic costs." (California has enough water - Los Angeles Times 23oct2007.) This article describes how we can better manage California's water supply resources via conservation, storing groundwater more efficiently, reusing nearly all of our wastewater, stop throwing away storm water, and cutting agricultural water waste.

Orange County in southern California has recently completed a massive water recycling project (Sewer Water to Drinking Water For Orange County, CA - watersecretsblog 29nov2007.), the Groundwater Replenishment System. Instead of ruining northern California and the Delta to send even more fresh water to southern California we should be improving our water supplies by investing in more water recycling projects of this type.

Don't Raise My Taxes to Build More Dumb Dams in California

"Some legislators have demanded that billions of public dollars be granted to specific dam projects, even though those projects clearly lack public benefit. .... Apparently, the pro-dam contingent is concerned that their favorite dam will not fare well against cost-effective water management strategies or public oversight of state funding." (Billion in Bonds for Dumb Dams - California Progress Report 08dec2007.)

"Tentative information provided by state agencies indicates that the actual water yield of the three dam projects proposed in the latest version of the Governor's water bond (Sites, Temperance Flat, Enlarged Los Vaqueros) produce only about a third of the water at about 13 times the cost that could be produced by increased investments in water conservation." (Dam Facts, Dam Lies, and Statistics - Steve Evans 21nov2007.) This article also refutes the many big lies that the dam-proponents are telling in their desperate attempts to fool voters into approving the funds for construction of these foolish dam projects.

More about: Water Policy Sacramento CA and California River Conservation.

Tags: dam, water, water supply, water policy.

Labels: conservation