CA Water Supply Worsens

The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners is again urging increased attention to extraordinary water conservation measures after the California Fish and Game Commission today, issued new, emergency regulations for protecting the longfin smelt, a candidate species for listing under the California Endangered Species Act, from operations related to moving water through the State Water Project. The new regulations, expected to take effect next month, are likely to further reduce the supplies of imported water southern California receives from the Bay Delta.
"As with the Delta Smelt decision last year, it is not possible to specifically state what this means for our water supply, as the week-to-week decisions are somewhat arbitrary and unpredictable," according to Kevin Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department. "However, it is certain that this decision has a significant, negative impact on the water supply of the State Water Project, and the areas of the state that depend on it."
Existing delivery restrictions to protect the Delta smelt, as ordered by a Fresno federal district court in September 2007, reduced imported water deliveries from the Bay Delta nearly 30 percent. Upon the federal district court ruling in September 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners issued a declaration of imminent water supply shortage and implemented mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water in the City of Long Beach. Long Beach has set historical, 10-year record lows for water consumption in 10 of the last 13 months.