Ross Middlemiss’ piece is long on complaints and short on solutions, but of all the misleading statements, his position against more water storage is truly unbelievable.
Scientists have told us to expect more precipitation and less snow, as well as a continuation of boom-or-bust water years, which can only lead to one conclusion: We must store more water from wet years for use in dry ones.
Some of the projects he complains about, such as Sites Reservoir, are specifically designed to capture floodwaters, which we are not currently doing very well.
And his blanket dismissal of storage would not just eliminate large projects like Sites, it ignores the value of smaller solutions, such as reestablishing flood plains to recharge underground aquifers, water banking and more.
Pursuing all of our storage options is the best way to adapt to our changing climate.
Water storage is the obvious solution to water shortage
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In summary
All options and strategies for coping with drought in California need to be put on the table.
By Mike Wade, Sacramento
Mike Wade is the executive director of the California Farm Water Coalition.
Re “Profit-thirsty Big Ag makes a bad thing worse”; Commentary, June 15, 2021
Ross Middlemiss’ piece is long on complaints and short on solutions, but of all the misleading statements, his position against more water storage is truly unbelievable.
Scientists have told us to expect more precipitation and less snow, as well as a continuation of boom-or-bust water years, which can only lead to one conclusion: We must store more water from wet years for use in dry ones.
Some of the projects he complains about, such as Sites Reservoir, are specifically designed to capture floodwaters, which we are not currently doing very well.
And his blanket dismissal of storage would not just eliminate large projects like Sites, it ignores the value of smaller solutions, such as reestablishing flood plains to recharge underground aquifers, water banking and more.
Pursuing all of our storage options is the best way to adapt to our changing climate.
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Mike Wade has previously written about California’s water infrastructure, water partnerships and California’s rivers.
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