The Worth of Water

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Time to Review Some Dam Decisions?

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Time for Some Dam Decisions

Here are 181 Candidates to Seriously Consider
On October 22, 2014 the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences identified 181 dams in California that are “high-priority” candidates for reallocating water flows, to protect the health of related watersheds and sensitive species—in keeping with the state constitution’s “beneficial use of water” section, the public trust doctrine, both state and federal endangered species acts, and Section 5937 of the California Fish and Game Code, a rarely enforced state law more than 100 years old.  (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: All Stories, The Worth of Water, Wildlife

The War Waged for Mono Lake

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Mono photo 1

The war of politics and power waged on behalf of Mono Lake and its water has been so contentious, convoluted, and long-running, and has involved so many public agencies and public hearings, so many lawsuits and compromises, that the simple facts are virtually impossible to separate from the details. Central to the saga, though, is the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. “If we don’t get the water,” said self-taught engineer and water czar William Mulholland in 1907, “we won’t need it.” (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: All Stories, The Worth of Water

David Zetland (Part 3) – Water for Community

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General aerial of delta patterns shot north of Sacramento. Shot - 78/05 by Paul J. Hames.

In his new book Living with Water Scarcity, David Zetland offers a brief yet astute description of what have become universal water allocation conflicts:
“Go anywhere in the world and you’ll find two opposing sides to a water allocation. A farmer complains about water going to the environment. An environmentalist complains about water going to the city. A businessman complains about water going to farms.” All of them are certain that they deserve the water more than others, Zetland says. They agree that politicians should allocate water for its highest and best use, but doubt the ability of water managers, government officials, and political leaders to decide what “highest and best” might be.  (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: All Stories, David Zetland, The Worth of Water

David Zetland (Part 2) – Water as Commodity

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Aerial view showing water running dow the Oroville spillway at Lake Oroville, California. Also showing the "energy disipators" at the bottom of the spillway.

Valuing Water as the Good It Is, Not the Good It Was
As discussed previously, economist David Zetland wants us to understand the difference between water scarcity and water shortage. Water scarcity, he says, is a perception. We worry that there may not be enough water to meet our needs, the needs of the environment, and the needs of agriculture and other business. Water shortage, on the other hand, is a fact. In the midst of a shortage there is no water to be had, at any price. Effectively managing water scarcity can prevent water shortages. Continue Reading →

Filed under: All Stories, David Zetland, The Worth of Water

David Zetland (Part 1) – What Price Water? Living with Water Scarcity

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Aerial views of waterways & sloughs meandering through The Delta in California.

There’s a difference between water scarcity and water shortage, and economist David Zetland wants everyone to understand that distinction. Scarcity is a perception, but water shortage is a fact. Shortage is far worse than scarcity, he says, because even if you otherwise have the necessary money (or other requirement) to acquire what you want, when there’s a shortage you still can’t get it.  (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: All Stories, David Zetland, The Worth of Water

What Water Means to a Rancher

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Table Mountain wildflowers in Oroville, CA on April 4, 2013.

In Fall
There is a faint rustling at the top of the pines—just a teasing promise of winter rains to come. The September days are still hot in the mountains, but you can see that the season is about to turn. The green grass of early summer (wild oats, timothy, red clover) is browning. Now, evening comes more quickly in long shadows over the meadow. By October, the rancher is looking for cloud cover in the west and hoping for that first good, soaking rain to revive the winter range and begin the cycle of renewal. Continue Reading →

Filed under: All Stories, The Worth of Water

When the Well is Dry, We Know the Worth of Water

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Worth_Water_salmon_Carl Costas_DWR

Benjamin Franklin is credited with that aphorism about the worth of water. Generally taken as a metaphor, Franklin’s wisdom was first published in the 1746 edition of his wildly popular Poor Richard’s Almanak. More than 150 years later farmers in California seemed to know the literal worth of water. WATER WEALTH CONTENTMENT HEALTH: That simple four-word message stretched across the Modesto Arch at 9th and I Streets in downtown Modesto summed up their expectations of the Northern California water that made agricultural abundance possible.  (more…) Continue Reading →

Filed under: All Stories, The Worth of Water