You’d be forgiven if your understanding of California’s water situation began and ended with the fact that we’re in a drought and should use less water.
Not surprisingly, the reality is far more complicated, since water use is intertwined with oil production and, hence, the amount and reliability of our energy supply. The question posed to the four water and energy experts who spoke at LMU this week was, given all that we know about current supplies, is California sustainable?
Regarding oil, absolutely not, said Steve Bohlen, state oil and gas supervisor in the California Department of Conservation. The state produces about 600,000 barrels of oil per day, but imports 1.2 million barrels daily. “Almost all the oil in the state goes toward transportation needs,” Bohlen said.
Why? Because we drive some 325 billion miles per year, he said. And even though average fuel efficiency in California is better than in other states—thanks, Prius drivers!—our oil consumption remains high. “The key to energy sustainability in California has almost everything to do with driving,” Bohlen said.
That doesn’t stop the state from seeking out alternative energy sources. Jennifer Lucchesi, executive officer of the State Lands Commission, said state-owned land has been leased for geothermal energy production for over 40 years in California.
She also noted that nearly 350,000 acres of state-owned land are part of an multistate effort to make it easier to bring projects like wind and solar power to the Southern California desert. “The goal of that is to enable a streamlined, cost-effective siting plan for renewable energy projects and developments, while complying with California and federal endangered species acts,” Lucchesi said.
But what about water? As Nancy Steele of the Council for Watershed Health noted, the Los Angeles area imports the vast majority of its water, and most of our aqueducts cross the San Andreas fault, making them vulnerable to earthquake damage. One solution is to rely more heavily on recycled sanitary water, despite the common objections.
Steele said that most water we drink has likely gone through a human or animals several times already, since there is no “new” supply of water. “We have this little squeamishness factor that we need to get over,” she said.
Bottom line? “There aren’t any minor challenges,” Bohlen said. “They’re all very complicated. There are no easy answers.”
