California To Battle Drought By Reviving Water Bank

Sacramento, CA (AHN) - California is preparing for its worst drought by reviving a water bank program shelved for the past 17 years.

Under the program, water will be purchased by the state from Sacramento Valley farmers and sell it to Southern California agencies. The decision to revive the water bank was prompted by the disappearance of the Sierra and Cascade mountain snowmelt and dwindling reserves of the Shasta Lake and Lake Oroville.

Lester Snow, director of California's Department of Water Resources, said that while the state is hoping to have a good storm season to replenish its water resources, it has to prepare for a worst case scenario.

State water resource meteorologist Elissa Lynn said it was still possible to make up for the dry seasons the past two years, but rainfall should be higher than average. However, the likely climate models do not point to a very wet start to the season.

Under the water bank, the state served as broker and deliveryman. The Department of Water Resources looked for farmers who volunteered not to plant, changed to crops that required less water or pumped groundwater instead of diverting river water to their farm. The available water was bought for $30 to $125 an acre-foot, which would be sufficient to meet the yearly water needs of two households.

But water prices may be higher this time. One official who attended the drought summit in Sacramento, estimated the precious liquid may fetch a price of $200 per acre-foot or 326,000 gallons of water.

The Association of California Water Agencies said it was happy the water bank will be revived. "Done correctly, a water bank can provide a short-term relief from water shortages while protecting water rights and the long-term interests of water suppliers," Tim Quinn, executive director of the association, told the San Francisco Chronicle.