In “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge proclaims: “Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink!”
Through the eyes of the ancient mariner on the open seas, it would be easy to arrive at that frustrating conundrum. Given our current water crisis in San Diego County, we can empathize with the plight of the ancient mariner.
In February, the governor declared a State of Emergency, imploring all residents to conserve water. Our regional water authority promotes this strategy with a call for residents and businesses to reduce our region's water use on average by 20 gallons per person, per day (see www.20gallonchallenge.com).
In an effort to raise awareness and fully engage North County elected officials and business leaders to help develop a reliable, sustainable water supply from the California Delta, Supervisor Bill Horn joined the nonprofit group, Friends of the Delta, in hosting a briefing given by Keith Coolidge, chief deputy director of the CALFED Bay-Delta program (see www.calwater.ca.gov).
Why, you may ask, should we be concerned about the delta, which is 500 miles away? We historically receive 30 percent of our drinking water from the delta and it also supplies irrigation water for farmland throughout the county.
Unfortunately, dwindling supplies over the past several years have caused many acres to go fallow and, consequently, has had a negative impact on the overall economy in our region. Coolidge said an inherent challenge with fortifying the delta water supply is resolving environmental and economic conflicts.
Environmentally, the challenges include protecting endangered species, a rising sea level and climate change. Economic challenges include reliable water for homes, businesses and agriculture; protection of the infrastructure located within the delta basin, i.e. power and natural gas plants, and the loss of jobs associated with deficiencies in serving these economic drivers.
What is the long-term solution for our vitally important economy and environment? According to the strategic plan developed by Delta Vision Task Force (see www.deltavision.ca.gov), it includes viewing them as co-equals, utilizing local resource development (i.e. Poseidon Resource's desalination plant in Carlsbad), building dual-conveyance projects (i.e. the Peripheral Canal), providing additional storage, restoring delta habitat through the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan (see www.resources.ca.gov/bdcp), effective governance and efficient financing.
Stephen Sheldon of Friends of the Delta said his organization's focus is on educating the public on the need for a comprehensive delta restoration and an enhanced conveyance system with the long-term vision of supporting efforts to provide a sustainable water supply for California (see www.friendsofthedelta.org).
In asking for their support of the aforementioned strategy and plan process, he is providing a draft resolution for cities, including Carlsbad, to consider. You can count on the chamber, and its Government Affairs Committee, to represent your best interests in this process.
One has to wonder if Coleridge's poem would've been less glum if a new desal plant was on his horizon, as it is thankfully on ours.
Through the eyes of the ancient mariner on the open seas, it would be easy to arrive at that frustrating conundrum. Given our current water crisis in San Diego County, we can empathize with the plight of the ancient mariner.
In February, the governor declared a State of Emergency, imploring all residents to conserve water. Our regional water authority promotes this strategy with a call for residents and businesses to reduce our region's water use on average by 20 gallons per person, per day (see www.20gallonchallenge.com).
In an effort to raise awareness and fully engage North County elected officials and business leaders to help develop a reliable, sustainable water supply from the California Delta, Supervisor Bill Horn joined the nonprofit group, Friends of the Delta, in hosting a briefing given by Keith Coolidge, chief deputy director of the CALFED Bay-Delta program (see www.calwater.ca.gov).
Why, you may ask, should we be concerned about the delta, which is 500 miles away? We historically receive 30 percent of our drinking water from the delta and it also supplies irrigation water for farmland throughout the county.
Unfortunately, dwindling supplies over the past several years have caused many acres to go fallow and, consequently, has had a negative impact on the overall economy in our region. Coolidge said an inherent challenge with fortifying the delta water supply is resolving environmental and economic conflicts.
Environmentally, the challenges include protecting endangered species, a rising sea level and climate change. Economic challenges include reliable water for homes, businesses and agriculture; protection of the infrastructure located within the delta basin, i.e. power and natural gas plants, and the loss of jobs associated with deficiencies in serving these economic drivers.
What is the long-term solution for our vitally important economy and environment? According to the strategic plan developed by Delta Vision Task Force (see www.deltavision.ca.gov), it includes viewing them as co-equals, utilizing local resource development (i.e. Poseidon Resource's desalination plant in Carlsbad), building dual-conveyance projects (i.e. the Peripheral Canal), providing additional storage, restoring delta habitat through the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan (see www.resources.ca.gov/bdcp), effective governance and efficient financing.
Stephen Sheldon of Friends of the Delta said his organization's focus is on educating the public on the need for a comprehensive delta restoration and an enhanced conveyance system with the long-term vision of supporting efforts to provide a sustainable water supply for California (see www.friendsofthedelta.org).
In asking for their support of the aforementioned strategy and plan process, he is providing a draft resolution for cities, including Carlsbad, to consider. You can count on the chamber, and its Government Affairs Committee, to represent your best interests in this process.
One has to wonder if Coleridge's poem would've been less glum if a new desal plant was on his horizon, as it is thankfully on ours.