Southern California's 'water doctor' pushes for transformation

Post by **WB Staff** » Mon Aug 28, 2023 12:45 am

Southern California's 'water doctor' pushes for transformation to adapt to climate change – Los Angeles Times, 8/23/23

“The organization is going through a transformation,” Hagekhalil told employees during a recent visit to a water treatment plant. “It’s all about us adapting,” he said, and the water district must prepare for hotter and drier times as global warming continues to undermine the region’s water lifelines in the coming decades…

While the agency’s former leaders helped spearhead a controversial state proposal to build a water tunnel in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, Hagekhalil has taken a different approach, saying he hopes to see more analysis of the long-term water-supply benefits that the project would bring.

“We can’t put all our eggs in that one basket. In the past, everyone was focused on the delta as the solution for our future,” he said. “We need to diversify. We need to look at other options.”

Full Story: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/south ... r-AA1fEVH8

Kelly Ripa · Post by **Kelly Ripa** » Mon Aug 28, 2023 11:15 am

Santa Maria Calif. has the number #1 water district in the state. If you go there you won't see any water because it's stored in an aquifer below ground. No evaporation and it keeps the water cleaner. Most likely the better place to STORE water. I still don't know why there are no deSal plants and pipelines working overtime in SoCal to keep us from having to use NorCal water at all use. This year we will all be sick of hearing the words "EL Nino" but why we do not have more storage and capacity for the years we have "extra" water....Instead of dumping the water out to the sea from the northern reservoirs is just bad planning. Now that Calif. will be broke for the next 40 years(estimated by downward populations) due to some more excellent planning by the state. I don't see anything happening to lessen the problem by this state in my lifetime...maybe 20 more years if I'm lucky

ash · Post by **ash** » Mon Aug 28, 2023 3:45 pm

The desalinization is constantly blocked for environmental reasons - plus that doesn't pay the right people who own the aquifers or want access to the water. You're silly to think of logical sound solutions....follow the money

WRB · Post by **WRB** » Mon Aug 28, 2023 4:47 pm

It takes strong willed visionaries to build unpopular projects like the Hoover Dam, Mullholand with the Owens Valley aqueduct project and Warren Doran the Feather River project....water is everything to California’s health. Unpopular you bet, needed absolutely.
The Arub counties are dry and can’t survive without fresh water, the answer dams and desalination. Same answer applies in California Dams and Desalination plants.
All we need is a visionary to pull it off whatever the cost in dollars is cheap compared to the alternative.
Tom