The Current Water Situation and the Benefits of Groundwater in the Future

By Robert E. "Rob" Katherman

Today we are not facing just another drought, but instead the entire state of California is facing serious water supply problems that could ultimately lead to water rationing and reduced supplies throughout the state.

Today we are not facing just another drought, but instead the entire state of California is facing serious water supply problems that could ultimately lead to water rationing and reduced supplies throughout the state. In summary:

• The Delta, a natural estuary which provides water to 25 million Californians and 2.5 million acres of farmland has leaky levees that desperately need repair. A natural disaster in the Delta could cripple water deliveries to Southern California up to 2 years.

• In late August, a federal court cut water supplies from the state's two largest water delivery systems by up to one-third to protect an endangered fish.

• California's statewide water storage and delivery system has not been significantly improved in 30 years.

• Our statewide water reserves are extremely low and we are facing severe drought conditions.

• Climate change is reducing our mountain snow pack + a critical source of natural water storage + and may usher in longer droughts and more severe floods.

WRD, in partnership with Los Angeles County, local MWD member agencies and the County Sanitation District are working on projects that can completely eliminate our need for imported water. These projects will capture more stormwater and increase our use of recycled water to replenish the groundwater aquifers. These projects make up our Water Independence Network (WIN) Program which will allow our groundwater basins to be 100% locally sustainable and protected from drought and water shortages. Our Board of Directors and staff are pushing to complete this goal in the next 10 years. Our Board has approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the LA County Sanitation Districts and the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District to build a microfiltration/reverse osmosis plant like the Orange county Groundwater Replenishment system that will reduce our need for nearly 20,000 acre-feet of imported water in its first phase and another 25,000 acre-feet upon completion of the second phase of the groundwater replenishment plant. This plant when completed will be comparable in size to the Orange County Groundwater Recharge system.

Maximizing conservation of stormwater and other local water will ensure a safe and reliable water supply for generations to come.

Electrical Use in Pumping Imported Water to Southern California

The pumping of imported water consumes nearly 20% of the total electric consumption in California. Simply put, the more water we conserve, the more stormwater we capture and the more recycled water we use will save huge amounts of electrical energy and will eliminate the need for building more power plants which create green house gases. Conserving water conserves electrical energy which saves fossil fuel consumption and therefore reduces CO2 which contributes to global warming.

Groundwater is a bargain

Today imported water purchased from the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) costs about $600 per Acre-foot (AF) and will be increased another 20% in January 2010. Groundwater in the WRD service area costs $153 per AF plus about $100/AF for pumping costs. The best way to assure that segments of our service area are not disproportionately impacted by double digit increases in wholesale water costs is to implement the WRD plan to become independent from imported water as quickly as possible.

This year the WRD Board of Directors approved our budget with only a 2.7% increase in the cost of groundwater pumping for the next fiscal year. This small increase is even more impressive when compared to the 14% price increase by the Metropolitan Water District for water imported water. This means that the cost of groundwater continues to be the best bargain in drinking water.