Preparing for Drought

As California inches closer to a third consecutive drought year, Metropolitan Water District and other Southland water agencies are laying detailed plans for reducing water use this summer (editorial, “The Dry Years,” Feb. 2).

How stringent these measures will be depends, of course, on how dry the rest of this winter is. Hopefully, a bounty of snow and rain will hit the state--particularly in Northern California--making the whole issue moot.

Fortunately, Southern California will again be able to draw a full supply of water from the Colorado River this year, which will help this region meet its overall water needs. These supplies, however, are no longer dependable and are only being made available on a year-by-year basis.

Nevertheless, Metropolitan is developing a tiered plan of action to promote conservation as the summer approaches. This plan includes a major public information campaign aimed at alerting Southern Californians about the state’s drought and the need to save water. Last year, similar efforts were undertaken and consumers responded by saving about 30 billion gallons of water--enough to meet the annual residential needs of approximately 180,000 families.

In conjunction with these public information activities, MWD will, if necessary, activate its interruptable water service program by curtailing ground-water recharge programs and deliveries to storage reservoirs, easing pressure on strained State Water Project reservoirs in Northern California.

While Southern California’s supplies appear sufficient at this juncture, other parts of the state which rely on less dependable water systems could face severe shortages this summer. Over the past 70 years, Southern Californians have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in water transfer and storage projects to both meet demand and protect against multi-year drought. That investment is paying off during this dry period and, with the cooperation of the 14.5 million people in our service area, should see us through a dry 1989 without highly restrictive water-use rules.

We can minimize the frequency of droughts by providing a reliable and stable water supply through the construction of additional features on the State Water Project, including needed storage facilities and a more efficient means of transporting water. Such projects would be in addition to adopting water conservation as a way of life.

CARL BORONKAY

General Manager, MWD