Rep. Levin Delivers on Desal Efforts for So Cal

Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) has come through with a bill that would deliver significant funding to support desalination efforts in drought-stricken Southern California.

An email from Levin to his supporters details the bill.

“I recently introduced the Desalination Development Act which would provide $260 million over five years for desalination projects across the country, with an emphasis on projects in drought-prone areas such as ours that use best practices to minimize environmental harm.  I am very encouraged that the recent Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan includes $250 million for desalination projects, nearly in line with our bill. We’ll do all we can to ensure these provisions make it across the finish line in the coming months.”

From the LA Times, this:

Desalination projects in the San Diego area could get millions in federal funding under a bill Rep. Mike Levin introduced Tuesday.

The Desalination Development Act would provide $260 million over five years for desalination projects across the country, including Oceanside’s Mission Basin Groundwater Purification Facility, which converts brackish flows into potable water, said Levin (D-San Juan Capistrano).

It also sets environmental standards for projects that get federal funding, with requirements for energy efficiency, wildlife protection and water conservation.

Levin said the federal government should invest in desalination to enhance local water sources, especially while California’s communities confront climate-driven droughts.

“Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme drought,” Levin said. “This is a big challenge for our water supply. We’ve got to advance anything we can to increase our supply of drinking water, and we’ve got to do it in a sustainable way.”

Levin said he hopes the bill will be included in the bipartisan infrastructure packages under consideration in Congress. The House of Representatives passed a $715-billion package of transportation and water funding last month, and the Senate is debating a roughly $1-trillion bipartisan infrastructure package.

If the desalination funding doesn’t go through that legislation, Levin said it could be included in a broader $3.5-trillion spending plan that Democrats expect to introduce through the budget reconciliation process.

The desalination bill would pay 25% of costs for desalination systems, up to $20 million per project, and it would give precedence to facilities in areas facing severe drought conditions.

A July 31 editorial in the San Jose Mercury News referenced North California towns at risk of running out of water.

The Bay Area News Group reported Friday (July 30) that an alarming number of Northern California communities are at risking of running out of water. The shortages threaten supplies for more than 130,000 people. In Fort Bragg on the Mendocino Coast, city leaders are rushing to install an emergency desalination system. In Hornbrook, a small town in Siskiyou County, faucets have gone completely dry, and the chairman of the water district is driving 15 miles each way to take showers and wash clothes.

Closer to home, Contra Costa is in better shape than Santa Clara County residents. The East Bay’s Los Vaqueros Reservoir remains at about 75% of capacity. But in the South Bay, Anderson Dam, which stores half of the water in Valley Water’s system, is virtually empty. Anderson Reservoir was drained earlier this year over seismic concerns and will remain empty for about 10 years.

Water levels at many of Santa Clara County’s nine remaining reservoirs are alarmingly low: Almaden (51% full), Calero (44.9%),  Chesbro (17.6%), Coyote (21.4%), Guadalupe (14.7%), Lexington (23.5%), Stevens Creek (14.6%), Uvas (19.7%) and Vasona (93.3%).

Valley Water officials expect the price of water to double over the next decade. If Valley Water has its way, customers will be paying for a wide range of projects, including Anderson Dam ($576 million), Pacheco Dam ($2.5 billion) and a share of the Delta tunnel project, which is currently estimated at $15.9 billion. But even if all of those projects are completed, they won’t provide the kind of guaranteed water supply that Bay Area residents and businesses need. That can only come from major investments in conservation and recycling and by forcing Central Valley farmers to stop converting range land to almond orchards.

Without desal, water prices will double up North.  How much will the price increase in Southern California?  Who knows?

How bad is it?  CNN reports thieves are stealing water from scarce supplies.

State and local officials say water theft is a long running-issue, but the intensifying drought has driven the thefts to record levels as reservoirs dry up and bandits make off with stolen water, often to cultivate the growth of illegal marijuana crops.