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Newsom: California must boost water recycling, desalination

KATHLEEN RONAYNE

Associated Press

California should invest tens of billions of dollars in water recycling, storage and desalination over the next two decades to shore up its supply as the state gets drier and hotter, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a proposal released Thursday.

It comes as drought continues to grip the U.S. West and the state prepares to lose 10% of its water supply by 2040, according to projections by the Department of Water Resources. The Democratic governor discussed the proposal at the construction site of a plant to remove salts from river water that should be fresh, the type of project he said the state needs more of in the coming years.

His proposed water recycling targets, which would make treated waste water safe for drinking, would cost $27 billion by 2040, his proposal said. That was the biggest price tag associated with the plan, which also relies on billions in money already approved in past state budgets. The plan envisions that money coming from both state and federal sources.

In total, he wants to boost water annual supply by nearly 3 million acre feet each year; one acre foot can supply about two households.

His plan also calls to expand water storage, in above-ground reservoirs and underground aquifers, by about 4 million acre feet — nearly enough water to fill Shasta Lake, the state’s largest reservoir. New storage infrastructure would help the state capture more water during times of heavy rain, like the two large storms California saw last October and December.

The proposal comes amid the third year of a drought, the state’s second in the past decade. Most of the state’s major reservoirs are far below normal levels after the state saw its driest January through March in at least a century. That’s typically when most of the state’s rain and snow falls.

Meanwhile the Colorado River, a key source of water for Southern California, has reached critically low levels. In boosting the state’s water supply from sources like recycling, the Newsom administration hopes to reduce dependence on the river and other water exports.

The state’s approach to water shortages has focused too much on conservation, Newsom said.

“What we are focusing on is creating more supply, we’re focused on creating more water,” he said.

Interest in water recycling is expanding across the West as states and cities see their water supplies threatened by extended droughts. About two dozen communities, including those in Nevada and Colorado, rely on some recycled water for drinking, but that number is expected to grow.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which provides water for nearly half the state’s residents, is building a massive water recycling project. Congress included $1 billion for water reuse projects in the West in the infrastructure bill passed last year.

Newsom has resisted conservation mandates, instead calling on Californians to voluntarily reduce their water use by 15%, a target that the state is far from meeting. He’s asked the state’s more than 400 local water districts to implement their own plans to reduce water use and has set a few statewide policies, like a ban on watering decorative grass.

The new proposal doesn’t call for any immediate, mandatory cuts to water use in cities or on farms. Instead, he wants the State Water Resources Control Board to develop efficiency targets for every district, but they would only take effect next spring if there’s another dry winter. He’s also proposing spending $1 billion to get rid of 500,000 square feet of turf.

But Newsom said he wants the Legislature to consider a law that would let the state curtail people’s water rights even when its not a drought. The state operates an archaic system of water rights to govern how much water cities, farms and others are entitled to take and from where. An effort is underway to digitize records that spell out those terms, some more than a century old.

Desalination would make up only about 3% of the added water supply Newsom is calling for, most of it coming from brackish water, which isn’t as salty as water that comes from the ocean.

His plan doesn’t spell out how much water would come from removing salt from ocean water, a more controversial practice, but he’s calling on various state agencies to create a process for citing such projects by 2023.

“As California becomes hotter and drier, we must become more resourceful with the strategic opportunity that 840 miles of ocean coastline offer to build water resilience,” the plan said.

He’s not proposing any new money to boost water storage, instead working to speed up projects that have already been proposed. The state has already put $350 million aside for hundreds of projects aimed at making it easier to recharge groundwater storage.

He’s also committing to pushing forward with seven water storage projects funded by a 2014 bond that voters passed, including a delayed reservoir project.

State Sen. Brian Dahle, a Republican running against Newsom in this fall’s election, said he supports building more reservoirs, water recycling and desalination, but that he doubts the governor’s plan will come with real follow through. He pointed to the fact that no projects have been completed with the bond money the state passed eight years ago.

“When do the people wake up and go, ‘I want results. I actually want some results and I want to stop being promised and charged for non-results,’” he said.

NOTICE

ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR NON-ELECTRIC PEDICAB OPERATIONS ON THE BEACH BIKE-PATH

The City of Santa Monica invites licensed pedicab operators in good standing to apply for a decal to operate non-electric pedicabs on the Beach Bike-Path for permit year 2022-23. No more than 12 decals will be issued by lottery.

All interested licensed pedicab operators who have passed pedicab inspections for the 2022-23 permit year must submit an application to enter the lottery for a chance to operate a non-electric pedicab on the Beach Bike-Path. Lottery applicants will be notified of the results on September 15, 2022.

If you are not a licensed pedicab operator, but intend on applying to enter the lottery, you must first obtain a business license from the City of Santa Monica. To obtain a business license you must submit an application by September 1, 2022 and have your pedicab(s) inspected on or before September 8, 2022. Incomplete applications will not be eligible for this year’s lottery process.

Important Deadlines: September 1, 2022 – Deadline to apply for a pedicab business license in order to participate in the lottery. September 6-8, 2022 – New operator pedicab inspections and finalization of business license. Applicants will be notified of inspection date and time via e-mail. Wednesday, September 14, 2022 by noon – Deadline to submit lottery application. Thursday, September 15, 2022 – Date qualified applicants will be selected and notified. Friday, September 23, 2022 – Anticipated start date for selected pedicab operators to begin beach bike-path operations.

Business license information and lottery applications may be found at: https://www. santamonica.gov/process-explainers/how-to-obtain-a-pedicab-operator-permit

Please send all questions and lottery applications to: transportation.planning@santamonica.gov

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FROM PAGE 1

“On August 5, 2022, SMPD Officers arrested Barrett in the downtown area,” the SMPD report continued. According to the SMPD press release, the City Attorney’s Office filed criminal charges against Barrett on Aug. 9 alleging sexual battery and failure to register as a sex offender.

Police investigators believe Barrett has been in Southern California since at least June of this year, primarily traveling between Downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica.

SMPD Public Information Officer Rudy Flores said Barrett had previously been convicted of unlawful sexual contact with a minor, a crime he committed in Ohio. The terms of that sex offense conviction state he must register as a sex offender within three days of moving to a new state, which Barrett failed to do when he relocated to California, Flores said.

According to LA County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) records, Barrett, whose 30th birthday is on Sunday, is being held at Men’s Central Jail in Downtown LA on $40,000 bail — $20,000 for each of the two charges — with his next court date scheduled for Aug. 23.

Other LASD records show Barrett was arrested for battery in Santa Monica on June 29 and released with a citation.

Detective Brian Spencer (310.458.8420) and Sergeant Chad Goodwin (310.458.8931), both of the SMPD, have been assigned to the case and are requesting anyone who may have been involved in or witnessed an incident involving Barrett to contact them.

In addition, persons with information on this or other incidents involving Barrett may contact Crime Stoppers by calling or texting 800.222.TIPS or by visiting www. lacrimestoppers.org. Callers may qualify for a $1,000 reward for information.

emily@smdp.com