Warmer, drier weather conditions brought on by climate change could reduce California's water supply by up to 10 percent by 2040 without strong action, prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom to announce California water strategies to help the state adapt to more extreme weather patterns.
Thursday's announcement follows $8 billion in state investments over the past two years for California water strategies that include helping to store, recycle, desalinate and conserve the water it will need to keep up with the increasing pace of climate change, generating enough water in the future for more than 8.4 million homes by 2040.
The actions, described in a strategy document published by the Administration called "California's water supply strategy, Adapting to a warmer, drier future"They are calling for investing in new sources of water supply, accelerating projects and modernizing the way the state manages water through new technology.
This approach to water supply management in California recognizes the latest science indicating that the Western United States is experiencing extreme and sustained drought conditions caused by a warmer, drier climate.
Warming weather means more of the rain and snowfall California receives will be absorbed by dry soils, consumed by thirsty plants and evaporated into the air. This leaves less water to meet the state's needs.
“The best science tells us that we must act now to adapt to California’s water future. Climate change means that drought won’t just stick around for two years as it has historically – extreme weather is the new normal here in the Western United States and California will adapt to this new reality,” said Governor Newsom at the Antioch Brackish Desalination Project.
“California is launching an aggressive plan to rebuild the way we source, store and deliver water so our children and grandchildren can continue to call California home in this warmer, drier climate,” he added.
To help offset the water supplies California could lose over the next two decades, the strategy prioritizes actions to capture, recycle, desalinate and conserve more water. These actions include:
- Create storage space for up to 4 million acre-feet of water, which will allow us to take advantage of big storms when they occur and store water for dry periods.
- Recycle and reuse at least 800,000 acre-feet of water per year by 2030, enabling better and safer use of wastewater currently discharged into the ocean.
- Unlock 500,000 acre-feet of water through more efficient water use and conservation, helping to offset water loss due to climate change.
Making new water available for use by capturing stormwater and desalinating ocean and saltwater in groundwater basins, diversifying supplies, and making the most of high flows during storms.
These actions are broadly identified in the Newsom Administration’s Water Resilience Portfolio, the state’s master plan for water released in 2020, but will be accelerated given the urgency of climate-driven changes.
To advance the infrastructure and policies needed to adapt, the strategy calls on the Legislature to streamline processes so projects can be planned, permitted and built more quickly, while protecting the environment.
The 2022-23 budget includes an additional $2.8 billion for drought relief to hard-hit communities, water conservation, environmental protection for fish and wildlife, and long-term drought resilience projects.
You may be interested in: Bay Area leads statewide efforts in water conservation
