Guest Column: Expanding local water supplies with stormwater

Fact: Southern Californians conserve more water per capita than any other region in the state. Forget about the visions of swimming pools and golf courses — we are leaders in water conservation.

But there is more to making the most of water supplies than using less. We also need to capture more.

Stormwater — a fancy word for the rain pouring outside — is a local water supply that we can make better use of by capturing it before it runs through our streets and out to the ocean. We need to capture it, save it and use it when we go through dry spells.

Water resource managers, conservation groups, local governments and leading engineers throughout typically parched Southern California know how to make the most of what we’ve got when it comes to our water supply.

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Wilson: It's time for action on Delta proposal

The Ventura County Star
By Charles Wilson
Posted: 09/22/2012 3:00 PM PST

Southern Californians know that a big quake here would be devastating, but they should also know that a quake 400 miles away would take a toll on the whole state.

The hub of California's water supply lies just east of San Francisco, and it's a disaster waiting to happen. That's the bad news. The good news is that a plan is advancing to protect against that disaster — the Bay Delta Conservation Plan.

We've been repeatedly warned by leading scientists, engineers, water managers and other experts that a significant portion of the state's water supply could be wiped out for months if a major earthquake strikes Northern California.

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Valley Voice: Shore up California water supply before major earthquake hits

The Desert Sun
By Richard Atwater, Steve Robbins and David K Luker
Posted: 03/26/2012 12:32:21 AM PDT

As Californians, we're all keenly aware of the “Big One” that's looming.

We imagine that most local residents consider the potential impact of an earthquake in their community. So we buy earthquake kits, flashlights, bottled water, extra canned food for our homes — we take action to prepare.

And we imagine most people expect those who manage our state's infrastructure and other public services also take the necessary steps to prepare for a major earthquake. In many ways, California is ahead of the game. Billions of dollars have been spent to retrofit bridges, highways, hospitals and schools.

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Building An Earthquake Kit For Our Water Supply System

Fox & Hounds
By Richard W. Atwater
Posted: 01/12/2012 09:15:00 AM PDT

As Californians, we’re all keenly aware of the “big one” that’s looming. I would imagine that most people consider the potential impacts of an earthquake in their community. So we buy earthquake kits, flashlights, bottled water, extra canned food for our homes—we take action to prepare. And I imagine that most people expect that those who manage our state’s infrastructure and other public services also take the necessary steps to prepare for a major earthquake. In many ways, California is ahead of the game. Billions of dollars have been spent to retrofit bridges, highways, hospitals, schools and prisons. But to date, no effective measures have been taken to secure our water supply in the event of an earthquake.

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Guest View: Increasing storm-water capture is doable

San Gabriel Valley Tribune
By Richard W. Atwater
Posted: 03/30/2011 07:49:21 PM PDT

There are always two sides of a coin. Southern California has been gripped by powerful and fierce storms this year that have wreaked havoc and caused extensive damage in some communities. Drought warnings, mandatory water conservation and rationing may be distant memories, but we should not rest easy.

Read more: Guest View: Increasing storm-water capture is doable