by kevin, on October 16th, 2009
Of the major southwestern cities – Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, and Las Vegas – San Diego’s battle for water independence has been the longest and hardest fought. Thirst for Independence: The San Diego Water Story by Dan Walker is a marvelously entertaining and detailed accounting of that struggle. The primary difference that sets San Diego apart from the other cities of the region is that the bulk of their water supply is imported over long distance and relies on a terribly complicated interdependence on their larger sibling city to the north, Los Angeles. Although the city of Phoenix faces similar conditions, it doesn’t fight other cities of similar size for water. And Los Angeles has more diverse water sources options, more political power within the state, and more money to solve water problems.
Over the past one hundred years, San Diego water supply has faced a string of critical moments and important decision points that were pivotal moments. The choices made by the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) have weakened it’s position in comparison to other cities. Common among most water claims and agreements is the notion that those first in get first priority for delivery. Some suggest that dithering by San Diego at critical points allowed them to enter too late in some of the most important pacts and water deals affecting the region. As a result, they’ve had to constantly play catch-up to ensure a steady supply of fresh water to a rapidly growing population. Plus, there has been long standing animosity between the SDCWA and the Metropolitan Water District – it’s larger and more powerful brother based in Los Angeles. Many in San Diego believe that the agreement which merged the two organizations possesses serious imbalances in voting rights and water access that benefit Los Angeles and harm San Diego.
What’s common among all four cities listed above is their reliance on water from the Colorado River. Mr. Walker writes that “nearly twenty-five million people are today dependent in one way or another on the Colorado River. With a watershed area of 246,000 square miles, it supplies usable water for seven states.” A pact among those states came into existence in 1922 and divides the river into two regions – Upper Basin and Lower Basin. Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming are part of the Upper Basin, and Arizona, California, and Nevada are part of the Lower Basin. Each state is permitted to remove water from the river and its tributaries based on various measurement methods. In the past there have been numerous clashes between those states regarding control and regulation of water removals. Even in a year of average water flow, if all seven states removed their authorized allocation, there isn’t enough water. According to the agreement, California is allowed to over consume as long as other Lower Basin states are not removing their full allocation. But becoming far too common in recent years is the combination of other states taking their full allocation and diminished water flow in the river. Yet California has continued to over consume and leave very little water to flow into Mexico and in the Colorado Delta.
Water isn’t just an issue becoming more vital for the millions in the southwest who depend on it for individual consumption, but it’s also critical for the viability of some of the most productive farming in the country. It’s complicated and tangled in a rich history of working to maintain supply just ahead of demand. Thirst for Independence goes into great detail of how this issue has been managed in San Diego. The book was published five years ago so dramatic events which have occurred in the region recently are not covered. The impact of the recent California drought and the increasing battle between urban and agricultural needs would have excellent additions. Check out the book, it’s an outstanding resource.