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Water is a basic human necessity, yet for the last 30 years, California has failed to build the infrastructure needed to store and conserve this precious resource. With the exception of the Eastside Reservoir of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, no substantial water supply project has been undertaken or completed since the construction of New Melones Reservoir on the Stanislaus River in 1973. During that same period, however, California's population has increased by about 50%. The consequence is that even after a succession of six above normal to wet years, California now faces the prospect of insufficient water supplies for agricultural and urban uses after only one dry year.
The National Marine Fisheries Services has designated critical habitat for the steelhead and the Chinook salmon, encompassing virtually all of the major reservoirs and pumping facilities of the State Water Project and Central Valley Project - which includes numerous smaller water facilities operated by the Stockton East Water District used to supply water for urban and agricultural purposes.
In addition, the Fish and Wildlife Service is currently proposing to designate critical habitat for the San Bernardino Kangaroo Rat in a manner that encompasses water supply facilities used to meet the urban and agricultural needs of approximately 4 million people in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Steelhead and Chinook Salmon
The critical habitat designation adopted by the National Marine Fisheries Service for the steelhead and Chinook salmon is currently being challenged in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California. The administrative record filed in the case shows that numerous economic and environmental impacts will occur as a result of the designation, including
- Interference with the East Bay Municipal Utility District's ongoing program of river management on the Mokelumne River;
- Interference with other sensitive aquatic species such as the yellow-legged frog, the tidewater goby, the Southwestern pond turtle and the armored three spine stickleback;
- The designation may force the abandonment of grasslands areas within riparian buffer zones that serve as habitat for other species and that it may cause interference with the ability of local governments to plan for, prepare against and mitigate the after-effects of flooding.
Kangaroo Rat
With respect to the proposal to designate critical habitat for the kangaroo rat, the Service's own draft economic impact analysis shows that the impact could approach $75 million and be borne, principally, by water districts and municipalities that operate water supply infrastructure.
Needless to say, the actions taken by the various federal agencies will affect the ability of California and local public water agencies in improving its water supply infrastructure system.
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