The weather report this week called for brief showers in the Bay Area, but don’t be fooled. Even a weeklong deluge would do next to nothing to undo the state’s worst drought in more than 1,000 years.
As more people grasp the gravity of the situation, the drought and concomitant water crisis has become perhaps the most important issue facing California.
Though no one knows how to make it rain, our cover story this week details how Israeli innovation can help California maximize its dwindling water resources.
It should come as no surprise that Israel, located in one of the hottest and driest places on Earth, would have come up with myriad clever ways to maximize water. Conservation, drip irrigation, desalination and wastewater recycling are the cornerstones of Israeli water policy.
That policy has been so effective, the country has declared itself water secure for years to come, despite climate change and a growing population.
If only we could do the same.
No matter how many Israeli innovations our government and industry might consider importing, as Israeli water experts point out, it’s not technical know-how we lack in California. The deficiency runs deeper: We lack the political will to do what’s best for the state.
Our historically abundant water supply was great for agriculture, despite competing interests from industry and population centers, but it masked two major ills: outdated laws regarding water rights (including subsurface water rights) and a crazy patchwork of water agencies across the state (rather than one guiding agency).
These old rules have allowed agribusiness to siphon off underground aquifers to the point of causing the ground to sink. They have allowed farmers to waste untold acre-feet of water on flood and sprinkler irrigation. They have allowed major cities to indulge in unchecked growth, complete with ornamental fountains and water parks galore.
Those days are over, or certainly should be. Gov. Jerry Brown has ordered mandatory cutbacks and water saving regulations, but they largely leave the agriculture sector free to continue on with business as usual. That’s not enough.
After all, how many thirsty almond trees — which consume a shocking 10 percent of the state’s available fresh water — do we need?
By all means, let us welcome Israeli technology. And, while we’re at it, that of any other water-smart nation. But we cannot expect technology alone to save us from the worst effects of drought. For that, we must rely on ourselves.