Mailbag: Desalinated water project needed to boost supply

Re: “50-year desalinated-water deal pondered” (March 26):

I represent Orange County Water Independence, Sustainability and Efficiency (OC WISE), a coalition of businesses, labor, community groups, nonprofit organizations and individuals committed to supporting and advocating the development of all forms of new water for Orange County, and would like to clarify several points.

Any discussion of water costs has to be considered in the context of the drought, the cost of importing water, and the fact that imported water can no longer be taken for granted.

Recently, Gov. Jerry Brown and his administration, citing the drought, imposed mandatory conservation measures and called on water districts to begin acting as if the state might be in the midst of a millennial drought. This is exactly what the Orange County Water District is doing, and it should be commended.

The value of desalinated water has to be viewed in the following context:

Approximately 50% of Orange County’s water supply is imported from Northern California and the Colorado River. These water sources are not considered reliable or sustainable for future generations. Because of the drought, the California State Water Project cut its deliveries to 5% in 2014, and 2015 deliveries are projected to be in the 10% to 15% range. The California snowpack, the most reliable indicator of the state’s water health, is at 13% of normal.

Thirty-one percent of the water used in north and central Orange County is from the Colorado River. The river supplies water for 30 million people in multiple states and is one of the most contested rivers on Earth. Water deliveries to California from the Colorado were at their lowest ever in 2014, and 2015 is expected to be the same or lower. Orange County’s population is expected to grow by 300,000 people by 2020.

Having projected a 75,000-acre-foot-a-year water shortfall by 2035, the OCWD board would be prudent in accepting the term sheet for the Huntington Beach desalinated-water project, thereby ensuring 50 million gallons a day of reliable, drought-proof water for the county.

Robert Sulnick

Executive director, OC WISE

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Time to look at legalizing marijuana

What’s wrong with Mary Jane? Huntington Beach has many good reasons to consider legalizing marijuana.

You can look to the other states that have done so to see how it is working for them, how they have brought about legalization and whether it has been a good way to bring in new revenue.

I, an aging baby boomer, have found marijuana helpful in dealing with my health problems. I tried the drugs my doctor gave me, with dire consequences. I find that marijuana helps mostly through its relaxing effect. I find it is less addicting than coffee and sugar.

If you can relax without the hazards of alcohol and pharmaceuticals, it’s huge. Who doesn’t know someone with a drinking or painkiller problem? When people are addicted to alcohol or pain meds, they are usually not nice to be around. With marijuana, most people become mellow.

Tens of thousands of deaths in the United States each year are related to pharmaceuticals, alcohol and tobacco. Deaths from marijuana, strangely, are a big zero.

If you had a problem with chronic pain and were spiraling into depression and you found something that helped with few side effects, you would understand. Yes, if you overdo it, like most things in life, marijuana no longer works as well and can start working against you. Almost anything can be addictive, including chocolate, eating, shopping, sex, cigarettes and more.

When alcohol was prohibited, it created a huge crime scene, which is what is happening with the Mexican cartels. What a shame. Let’s stop the madness and put marijuana on the ballot along with the plastic bag ban.

Pamela Vallot

Huntington Beach