Last week, the same judge that initially ruled in favor of stricter pumping requirements for the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta seemed to reverse that decision by ruling that the initial information on the endangered Delta smelt was “sloppy science.” He went on to say that the current pumping restrictions are “unidirectional prescriptions that ignore California’s water needs.” In other words, US District Judge Oliver Wanger has decided to take a second look, and that makes farmers in California’s Central Valley hopeful that water will soon be flowing their way.
Over the past few years, we’ve been keeping a close eye on the situation in California, in part because the water rights/water use issues highlighted in the delta are playing out all over the country: whether it’s Utah and Nevada haggling over the Colorado River, or Georgia and its neighbors battling over water rights. Because it’s a shared resource, water efficiency and conservation cannot be successfully implemented in a vacuum. And because of our interdependence, it makes sense to take a look around and see what are colleagues are up to and how other communities are handling the burdens and benefits associated with managing their water supplies.
With that spirit of sharing in mind, let’s take a look back at some of the water efficiency success stories we covered in 2010:
Rate Case Tightrope
Champions of Efficiency
Voices on a Crisis
The Three Rs
A New Old Water Source
Total Resource Management
Conveyance Catch 22