Environment, Coasts, Oceans, & Infrastructure

In western states like California we are always hearing about building more "storage" (that means dams and reservoirs) to solve water supply shortfalls.  Building more storage in the 20th century brought more agricultural development, water-hungry tree crops, larger cities, and the ensuing dependency on those reservoirs.  I hear colleagues advocating yet more storage.  Honestly, more storage has got to be the worst response!  It will only beget more dependency and future need for yet more storage.  Anyone out there want to be even more dependent?

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Dudley McFadden P.E., D.WRE, M.ASCE
Principal Civil Engineer
Sacramento Municipal Utility District
Roseville CA
(916) 773-7174
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I have spent considerable time researching sustainable water supply and climate change. The only way to ensure reliable and sustainable supply of fresh water in the long term is to provide adequate storage; particularly in semi-arid regions subject to multiple-year droughts, such as California and the American West. Globally we are using 3.5 times more groundwater than what is naturally replenished. In California it amounts to about 7 times. The only other reasonably accessible resource that can be economically developed is river water, and for that one needs dams.  I provide, what I believe, a complete and defensible argument in my book: Annandale, George. 2013. Quenching the Thirst, CreateSpace, Charleston, NC. It can be loaned free of charge from Amazon for reading pleasure on a Kindle. Purchase copies are also available at www.amazon.com/author/georgeannandale 


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George Annandale D.Eng., P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE
Principal
Highlands Ranch CO
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