Colorado River Water

 

Margan and I do a Current Events presentation every 2 weeks here at MonteCedro which is quite well attended and usually sparks a lively discussion. She is working on the next one which will look at water, specifically the Colorado River and the looming fight over the compact that deals with water rights to that stream. Despite the recent atmospheric river events that produced flooding and mudslides, those rains did not do much to dent our prolonged drought. Although an estimated 24 trillion gallons of water fell across California (rain and snow), 80% went into the Pacific Ocean quickly. We remain behind on infrastructure projects that can capture and retain water; instead, we have concrete channels from the early 20th century intended to prevent floods. 

Humans have ways to change the landscape that prevent runoff. These measures include check dams, swales, and terraces and incorporating reforestation and organic farming to hold water in the ground. That water permeates aquifers where it is purified and is available for use when rain does not fall. In the past, beavers (Castor canadensis in North America) sculpted the landscape. Their dams provided an ecological niche not only for themselves but for many other organisms. We now do much of what Castor once did but the recent rebound in their population could make them important once more in water retention projects, as California has realized. 

California is a diverse place. With huge urban areas come huge swaths of land paved over with concrete, asphalt, and buildings. Instead of thinking of these as problems, they can be part of the answer to the problem of excess rain in urban areas using permeable paving techniques. Best used in low and slow traffic areas, such as parking lots, low-traffic streets, sidewalks, and driveways, cities such as Chicago are already experimenting with this type of infrastructure (Green Alley Program).

But the water coming from the Colorado River is mostly used in agriculture. The Central Valley Project, begun in 1933, provides much of the water for the Central Valley of California. The Colorado River provides ⅓ of the water for Southern California. The Imperial Valley depends on this water for crops. The crisis is such that Lakes Mead and Powell may not refill in our lifetimes. It has an international impact because the Colorado River flows into the Gulf of California in Baja, Mexico. The declaration of water shortage is certain to be felt in Altadena.

Time has long been wasted as well as water that ought to have replenished ground aquifers. I hope that there is political will to work toward a solution because water sustains lives and economics. I remember growing up in Berks County, Pennsylvania where long-term thinking in the 1920s led to the damming of Maiden Creek and the creation of Lake Ontelaunee as a source of freshwater for the city. I hope we are as farsighted as Reading was a century ago.