Our March 24 meeting had as one topic:
What do we do when we run out of oil in the United States?
Earlier, on March 10, Robert Keeran of Coachella Valley Water District, gave a presentation and Q&A about the history of
water use in the valley.
At the April 7 meeting, Glen Miller from the Indio City Planning Commission spoke in part about city water projects. Here's
an article about CVWD and Desert Sun pieces:
Separate project looks to replenish east valley aquifer and
Water is a precious commodity for all of us.
In the latest issue, Newsweek has a piece
Rivers Running Dry looking at resource depletion, comparing those of water and oil.
This problem is especially acute in the Southwest. In February, one study found that Lake Mead, which supplies a stretch of the Colorado River that snakes through northern Arizona, could run dry in a decade or so, if current water use rates persist. Each year, the study found, the lake loses enough water for 8 million people. "Just like we have peak oil, we have peak water, and when it comes to the Colorado River, we are at that peak," says Tim Barnett, a scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, Calif., and coauthor of the Mead study. "The whole West is under the gun here."
Even though our CVWD has, with foresight, secured rights to some Colorado River water, that water is increasingly in short supply. That's besides the ancient groundwater we pump up for our daily lives and to irrigate our golf courses. I've heard reports that our efforts to replenish the aquifer are falling short. With our water, there's more of a parallel to peak oil than most of us appreciate.
Water Updates
5/28/08: Several lawsuits between Indio and CVWD are in play, including one regarding Citrus Ranch in Indio's sphere of influence. See
this article about in the Desert Sun.
6/18/08: Here's
a document filed by CVWD in case INC07838 which explains the district's position regarding the recharge assessment and our underground aquifer.
6/21/08: Here's a Desert Sun article,
Indio council agrees to settle lawsuit (
archived), on the announced settlement of a related lawsuit (INC065049) regarding Citrus Ranch; note comments on bottom. Indio published the settlement agreement with CVWD on its website; whether the public interest is adequately served by that agreement is a question.
7/16/08 update: Scientific American's August cover article is about water.
8/3/08 update: Desert Sun -
New drinking water source discovered in Indio under Sun City Shadow Hills!
8/08 update: Dow Tunis reports in The View
The 1,200 acre Citrus Ranch project at the corner of Dillon and Fargo Canyon roads, North of I-10, which includes more than 3,000 homes and an 18-hole golf course, has been stopped. The C.V.W.D. is suing Indio and the builder of the project for irreparably harming the environment. The water district called a halt to Citrus Ranch work and a new environmental study that takes into account potential impacts of further groundwater overuse.
In the December '08 View, Dow offers a correction, to wit:
The Coachella Valley Water District and the City have agreed to settle the Citrus Ranch lawsuit. The City of Indio protested the golf community project’s environmental impact report, contending that it did not address water overuse. Under the terms of the agreement, the Citrus Ranch developer, SunCal, will pay the City the sum of $5.6 million to offset the project’s impact on local groundwater supplies. CVWD and Indio will collaborate on a more effective way to use the money to help combat overdraft of the aquifer.
You will recall from previous articles in the View, that the Citrus Rancho Project will include residential neighborhoods, a hotel, golf course and community center.
On the subject of peak oil, I'm author of another blog on that subject,
The Spare Can. 7/5/08 Update, in the Desert Sun:
Who is to blame for the energy crisis?"We have met the enemy and he is us." - Walt Kelly's comic strip "Pogo," circa 1960
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