California’s water crisis is about more than drought. It is also about whether the state has enough infrastructure to capture, store and manage water when it is available.
That was a central theme when Edward Ring, director of Water and Energy Policy at the California Policy Center, joined “The Ag Meter” Nick Papagni for a wide-ranging discussion about California water, agriculture, Delta management, desalination, groundwater recharge, energy and the state’s political future.
Ring’s message was direct: California has opportunities to improve water reliability, but political divisions, regulatory delays and a reliance on studies rather than construction are preventing the state from moving quickly enough.
Delta Sediment Raises Flooding Concerns
Ring recently wrote about the potential consequences of failing to remove sediment from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and San Joaquin River.
He pointed to the devastating 1997 flooding as a warning, saying the next major Sierra Nevada storm could create even more serious problems because sediment has continued to accumulate and meaningful dredging has not occurred in decades.
Ring’s concern extends beyond flood damage. If Delta levees fail, he said fuels, agricultural chemicals, soil and other contaminants could be mixed into the water surrounding the Delta’s below-sea-level islands.
That could create another major problem: contaminated water could potentially prevent California from pumping water into its aqueduct system for months while repairs and cleanup take place.
Ring Says Dredging Could Help Fish
One of Ring’s more provocative arguments is that Delta dredging could benefit fish habitat as well as water management.
He explained that channelization eliminated much of the Delta’s historic floodplain and smaller channels. However, decades of dredging created deeper, cooler channels that provided habitat for species such as salmon and smelt.
Ring also discussed turbidity—the cloudy water created when sediment is suspended. He said research has shown that turbidity can help small fish avoid predators.
In his view, stopping dredging resulted in shallower, clearer water that can favor predators, invasive weeds and other invasive species.
Ring believes California should reconsider the science surrounding dredging rather than automatically treating sediment removal as an environmental threat.
California Needs More Water Storage
Ring strongly supports expanding California’s water-storage capacity.
He praised Congressman Tom McClintock’s advocacy for projects including raising Shasta Dam, building Auburn Dam and constructing Temperance Flat Reservoir.
Ring said raising Shasta could add approximately 600,000 acre-feet of storage. He also emphasized Temperance Flat because its location south of the Delta could provide valuable storage for the San Joaquin Valley.
He argued that California could have captured substantial amounts of water during recent wet years and gradually released it to recharge groundwater basins.
Ring also called for completing Sites Reservoir closer to its original design. He said the project was originally envisioned with approximately 2 million acre-feet of storage and pumped-storage capabilities that could also help manage surplus solar power.
Capture Water During Wet Years
Ring believes California must prepare for both drought and flooding.
If the state experiences extended dry periods followed by extremely wet years, he said California needs enough infrastructure to capture millions of acre-feet during those wet periods and store the water for future use.
That includes making groundwater recharge easier.
Ring said farmers should be able to flood appropriate portions of their land with available floodwater without worrying that the practice could jeopardize their water allocations later.
He highlighted portions of the western San Joaquin Valley where water can percolate rapidly into groundwater basins.
Better Weather Forecasting Could Save Water
Ring also emphasized improved weather forecasting.
He said newer forecasting technologies could provide water managers with better information about incoming storms, but agencies must also improve how quickly that information is shared.
Even with existing forecasting tools, Ring believes California could potentially retain more water by changing reservoir-management procedures.
Better forecasts combined with more flexible operating rules, he argued, could allow managers to capture more water while still protecting against flooding.
Desalination Could Add Water Supplies
Another major component of Ring’s proposal is expanded desalination.
He suggested developing approximately 500,000 acre-feet of desalinated water annually along the Southern California coast.
His argument is that producing more water near coastal population centers could reduce the amount of water transported south through the Tehachapi Mountains, leaving more water available for agriculture and potentially the Delta ecosystem.
Ring pointed to countries including those in the Middle East and Singapore as examples of places already relying heavily on desalination.
He argued that California’s high desalination costs are driven largely by regulatory requirements and electricity prices rather than the technology itself.
Fish-Friendly Delta Diversions
Ring also described what he called fish-friendly Delta diversions, based on concepts associated with the San Joaquin Valley Blueprint.
The proposed system would use a large infiltration bed within the Delta, allowing water to move through a specially designed channel and be collected through perforated pipes beneath the surface.
Ring said estimates suggest a 200-acre facility could potentially produce approximately 15,000 acre-feet of water per day under appropriate conditions.
He also discussed using sand as a potential way to screen out invasive golden mussels.
The concept would provide another means of capturing water during wet winters while addressing concerns surrounding conventional Delta pumping.
Water Shortages Affect Public Health
Ring said California’s water shortage also has public-health consequences.
He discussed the drying of the southern San Joaquin Valley and increased concerns surrounding Valley fever.
According to Ring, farmworkers, construction workers and other outdoor workers can be particularly vulnerable because they cannot simply retreat indoors into filtered, air-conditioned environments when winds carry dust and Valley fever spores.
He argued that the health and economic consequences of drying rural communities deserve much more attention in California’s water discussion.
Agriculture Cannot Simply Be Replaced by Solar
Ring also rejected the idea that California can simply replace agricultural production with solar development.
He cited approximately 16,000 square miles of prime irrigated farmland and argued that solar panels would require considerably less land to meet the state’s electricity goals.
But, he said, the economic value of agriculture cannot simply be replaced.
Fruit, nut and vegetable crops can generate greater revenue per acre than solar panels when farming is economically viable. Agriculture also supports jobs and businesses throughout rural communities.
Solar projects, Ring argued, create fewer long-term jobs, while much of the investment capital can come from outside the communities where projects are located.
For California’s agricultural towns, losing farms could therefore mean losing an entire economic ecosystem.
Ring Says California Needs a Different Approach
Ring believes California’s political and regulatory systems have made major infrastructure unnecessarily difficult and expensive to build.
He argued that legitimate environmental protections can coexist with infrastructure development, but projects cannot remain trapped in studies and reviews indefinitely.
His proposed strategy includes dredging the Delta, expanding storage, completing Sites Reservoir, building Temperance Flat, developing off-stream reservoirs, improving groundwater recharge, expanding desalination and fish-friendly diversions, and improving weather forecasting.
He also believes California should work more closely with the federal government rather than automatically turning water disagreements into legal battles.
The Full “Ag Meter” Interview Goes Deeper
The conversation between Nick Papagni and Edward Ring covers considerably more than a list of water projects. Ring discusses the political and regulatory barriers he believes are preventing California from building infrastructure, the economic consequences of water shortages, the future of the farm economy, energy policy, desalination and the upcoming political battles that could shape California’s future.
For farmers, rural communities and anyone concerned about California’s water supply, the interview offers a detailed look at both the problems and Ring’s proposed solutions.
Listen to the full “The Ag Meter” interview with Nick Papagni and Edward Ring for the complete conversation and Ring’s detailed explanation of his California water strategy.