Dry weather hasn't caused water shortages, yet
Officials warn residents to start conserving now
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

The need for water in our daily lives is indisputable: We drink it, shower with it and use it to clean our homes and keep our yards lush. But the life-sustaining liquid could become less plentiful in the future.

Water reserves are sufficient for now, but that could change if dry conditions persist, said Eric Bergh, spokesperson for the Calleguas Municipal Water District.

The district supplies water to about 600,000 people in Camarillo, Moorpark, Oxnard, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Port Hueneme and surrounding unincorporated areas.

While casting a wary eye on weather patterns, water agencies have been taking measures so they don't have to rely solely on imported water.

"The water shortage that occurred in the 1990s was a huge wake-up call for water officials, so Southern California water agencies began to spend a lot of money to increase local water storage and recycling projects," Bergh said.

In cooperation with the Municipal Water District, Calleguas is developing an $80 million belowground storage reservoir in the Las Posas Groundwater Basin west of Moorpark to insulate the area if there is a drought or a natural disaster, Bergh said.

Calleguas is installing 30 wells to pump imported water in and out of the aquifer, and the process of injecting water underground has already begun.

Ultimately, the area served by Calleguas will have enough water to sustain itself for two to three years if external supplies fail or diminish, Bergh said.

"Demand will continue to increase, and because of that and the vulnerability of some of the imported water systems . . . we have to do what we can to be more creative and more efficient with imported and local water resources," Bergh said.

The local water wholesaler is working with communities to implement projects that recycle and reuse wastewater to irrigate farmland, golf courses and parks.

Water suppliers are also trying to encourage conservation by providing easy-to-follow examples of how consumers can stretch supplies.

"You don't need a crystal ball to predict that our future depends on using water wisely and efficiently today," said Metropolitan board chair Timothy Brick. Metropolitan supplies water to Calleguas and 25 other water agencies in Southern California.

The regional water supplier offers many conservation tips on a website dedicated to the topic at www.bewaterwise.com.

Conservation is voluntary now but may become mandatory if the dry weather continues, officials said.

Fragile links

Southern California's water is imported from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in Northern California and the Colorado River. Calleguas only receives water from the California Aqueduct.

The delta pumping stations that bring water to the central and southern part of the state have been the center of a dispute for decades because environmental organizations are concerned that pumping affects indigenous fish populations and the ecosystem at the source.

"Disputes will never end, so we have to focus on what we can do at home to bolster reliability," Bergh said.

Global warming also plays a role, said Don Kendall, general manager for Calleguas.

"There's is no argument that anthropogenic warming is occurring. The debate is over what the impacts to our water supply will actually be," Kendall said.

Calleguas was involved in a study, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in the early 1990s, on climate change and U.S. Water Resources.

"Those conclusions were the same as today . . . do the prudent thing when it comes to managing a precious resource," Kendall said.

Southern California cannot survive without external supply unless agencies begin to pump and desalinize ocean water, which is costly and impractical for now, Bergh said.