GET READY FOR DROUGHT WATER RESTRICTIONS

For the first time in five years, especially in the northern part of the state, California is facing a drought. After a hot and dry 2020, water supplies are only at half of normal levels, and state and federal water officials have warned farmers and local governments that shortages are on the horizon and that they should plan on how they will adjust.

Unfortunately, Gov. Gavin Newsom has so far mostly kept a low profile on the issue, perhaps because he fears that talking about bad news while he faces a fall recall election is risky politically. His remarks to Politico when asked about the drought border on the bizarre: “We are very, very mindful of the opportunities and challenges this places on the state.” The “opportunities”? As if a drought is something the state could take advantage of?

Thankfully, state Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, has stepped up on the issue. She told the Los Angeles Times that she wants the state to use some of its $20 billion surplus and $26 billion in emergency pandemic funding from the federal government for a wide range of water projects. Her list includes replenishing groundwater aquifers, investing in storage facilities, promoting water recycling and offering rebates to homeowners and businesses that switch to landscaping that would need little or no watering. Another idea worth looking at is reducing the leakage in water canals.

Whatever the state does, Californians should again be trying to limit their water use in a cycle we know all too well. Atkins’ ideas are welcome and thoughtful but won’t give us much immediate relief.