Calif. drought-relief bill being fast-tracked
Boat slips in Folsom Lake during the 1976 drought. Photo/California Department of Water Resources
By Rory Carroll, Reuters
California’s senate leader is preparing a $644 million emergency drought relief bill designed to quickly fund shovel-ready projects to combat the state’s severe water shortage, according to a draft of the bill.
The wide-ranging effort would fast-track water supply projects, speed up funding for expanded use of recycled water and stormwater capture projects, and better monitor and manage groundwater resources.
California is facing its worst drought in decades. State officials have said it is likely to force for the first time a complete cutoff this year in state-supplied water sold to 29 irrigation districts, public water agencies and municipalities up and down the state.
You know the state is run by environmentalists when they are the only ones quoted in the story and pretend to know what is best for California. If 20% of our power in California comes from hydro sources which is the cleanest source why can’t we build more dams? We need the water storage and they provide recreation as well as habitat for many types of wildlife.
So the fact that most of the dams already built are almost all dry or so low that there isnt enough water for electricity generation, lets build a bunch more so that they, too, can sit empty? That makes alot of sense, not to mention the cost to build the dams, and im not just talking money but the cost to the environment, to wildlife, to the greater habitat structure in the river systems. So if there is some sort of benefit to humans than its ok put a damn in every river system? How about water conservation, water reclemation, or just using less water. Those are the choices ill make.
RHINO. No water means no spinning turbines to make power. Think Colorado river and how it has lost 50% of it’s capacity of the past 10-12 years. And for the record, solar energy is the cleanest form of energy; has been for billions of years now. Well, that’s if you believe the Earth is over 6000 years old.