SCWC Unveils Education & Outreach Program In Support Of California WaterFix

"Now is the time to demonstrate the strong momentum behind CA WaterFix to our decision-makers and regional stakeholders," said Charles Wilson, executive director for Southern California Water Committee. "Bottom-line, water is essential to our physical health and well-being. Water may be everywhere, but we should never take it for granted. SCWC is doubling down on support in Southern California."

According to results released from a recent public opinion survey commissioned by SCWC, nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of Southern California voters support the project. This strong backing for the project comes after nearly a decade of extensive review and study by water quality experts, engineers, earthquake scientists and independent university researchers who all concluded modernizing and re-routing the water delivery system was the best option to ensure Southern California has a reliable, high quality supply of water.

We use water daily in our homes for cooking, cleaning, and bathing. And outside, it replenishes our gardens and parks, and provides outdoor recreation for our families and friends. Our Southern California quality of life isn't possible without good jobs, and water is integral to powering the businesses that provide employment in the state. It's the reason SCWC, a diverse coalition of business, regional and local government, law firms, agricultural groups, labor unions, environmental organizations and water agencies is committed to advancing California WaterFix.

"California is the land of innovation and big ideas," said Wilson. "We should be fulfilling the California promise by investing in and building modern projects like California WaterFix that use state-of-the-art technology to provide safety, reliability and efficiency for the state's water supply."

Sixty percent of California's water supply comes from the Sierra Nevada mountains. Melted snow from these mountains offers us one of the cleanest, freshest sources of water for our families and homes, compared to other water sources that require additional and costly treatment to ensure they meet strict drinking water quality standards. Water from the Sierra Nevada mountains provides the backbone supply for 25 million people in Southern California, the Central Valley and Bay Area. But the delivery system moving this water to our region is old, vulnerable and in desperate need of improvement.

Additionally, Southern California needs a flexible solution to address its water woes, especially in light of today's climate realities and our recurring drought cycles. California has had nine droughts since 1900, totaling 41 years. After a crushing five-year drought, this past winter was the wettest in 122 years but California lost the opportunity to capture and store surplus water due to restrictions in the central hub of the delivery system. Nearly 158 billion gallons of water weren't captured – enough water to supply the cities of Long Beach, Riverside, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Oxnard, San Bernardino and San Diego combined for one year.

"We have to find a way to smooth out the boom or bust cycle," added Wilson. "California WaterFix will make our water delivery system more flexible and efficient, so we are better able to capture more water during big storm events and save it in reservoirs for drier times."

Established in 1984, the Southern California Water Committee is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, public education partnership dedicated to informing Southern Californians about our water needs and our state's water resources. Spanning Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino, Imperial, Riverside, Ventura and Kern counties, the SCWC's members include representatives from business, government, agriculture, water agencies, labor and the general public. Visit us at www.socalwater.org and find us on Facebook.

SOURCE Southern California Water Committee

Related Links

http://www.socalwater.org