View of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, a key water source for Californians, as well as a point of contention.

The Golden State takes the national spotlight this Sunday, December 27, as Lesley Stahl reports on California’s water crisis on 60 Minutes. She’s interviewed Governor Schwarzenegger, farmers, and various water agencies throughout the state, according to KMJ News Talk Radio, and the message is that our drought has the potential to affect all Americans– in the form of higher prices at the grocery store and fewer choices in what we buy.

The timing of this feature is appropriate given that the Obama administration released an Interim Federal Action Plan this week to manage the Delta. Since the Delta is the hub of the state’s water supply system that provides water to 25 million Californians– it’s the largest estuary on the west coast of the Americas—and since the federal government oversees two of California’s largest reservoirs, greater federal action is certainly warranted. Read the rest of this entry »

Central Basin headquarters in Commerce.

At Central Basin headquarters, we’re excited about our new-and-improved landscaping, which got underway this week. Our site is being redesigned to transform our current water-intensive landscaping into a garden that’s drought-tolerant and filled with California-friendly plants. We’re committed to water conservation, and we think this garden will be a great way to demonstrate it. It will also be a huge money-saver for the District because of the lower watering and landscape maintenance costs.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) says we must “prepare now” for a dry 2010, allocating only 5% of total contracted water deliveries to State Water Project (SWP) contractors.

A thirsty Lake Oroville

What does this mean? SWP provides water to businesses, homes and farmers, mostly located in Central and Southern California. According to DWR, under the 5% allocation, only 200,000 of the total 4 million acre-feet of water that has been requested, will be delivered.

“Five percent sends a very strong message that the state is in a water crisis,” said Central Basin’s general manager, Art Aguilar.  In fact, California’s water woes may take the national scene in the near future: Rep. Grace Napolitano said last week she is planning a congressional hearing in Southern California to examine what steps to take in the water situation.

Read the rest of this entry »