Conservation isn’t only option on water

Regarding “Our dry future” ( Editorial, Oct. 18): I would like to offer the following thoughts. Why the single- minded approach of conservation? Why can’t officials start thinking about ways to increase the supply of water?

State officials don’t seem to mind allowing our population to grow without bounds, which only compounds our water problem. Our state population has doubled since 1970, but how many new reservoirs have been built over these past 46 years? How many desalination plants have been constructed? How many pipelines from water- rich areas have been constructed?

How many almond and avocado orchards have been replaced by less water- hungry crops? Focusing solely on conservation while allowing our population to continually increase will lead to a lower quality of life for all of us. Our officials need to wake up and start thinking outside of the box. Conservation, while a key part of our water plans, is not the sole answer.

Ken Ramsey, Pleasanton