If California is to continue to provide the water needed by its people and environment, it has to consider building new dams as conservation alone will not address the issue of a perilous supply.
The other advantage of building new dams is that during wet years the state is more highly protected from floods.
In Sacramento we are struggling to attain a 100 year flood protection level in Natomas and the level in New Orleans before it flooded was 250 years.
A 500 year level is what experts say major river cities need and most in the country have it already.
To reach that level in Sacramento we need to build the Auburn Dam.
An update on the Auburn Dam work effort was made to the American River Authority in December of 2007.
Editorial: With drought a possibility, it's time for change
Published 12:00 am PDT Saturday, May 3, 2008
February came in like a lion and left like a wimp.
The next month didn't bring a drop of precipitation to Sacramento until March 29.
April? Almost bone dry. And May? Don't waste your time doing a rain dance. It almost never rains in May. The water year is effectively over – and it's a worrisome year indeed.
According to the Department of Water Resources, the average snowpack statewide is now about two-thirds of normal. That's better than last year at this time, when the snowpack was at 27 percent. But two years of subpar precipitation means that people and water districts must get serious about how they use and abuse H20. Every gallon they conserve this year will mean more in groundwater basins and reservoirs next year – when we may need it. If California experiences a third year of lousy snowpack, state officials will be using the dreaded D-word – drought.
It's been 15 years since California last experienced a drought, and during that time, the state has grown by 6 million people. Some regions have gotten smart about water usage, stretching available supplies without costly infrastructure investments. Others have skated by.
