Without a statewide water supply target, California’s future is at risk

If you don’t already know, it will surprise you to learn that for all the attention that our state’s water supply receives in California – for all the worry and effort it takes to make sure there’s enough for our 40 million residents, 24 million acres of farmland, countless acres of natural environment, and status as the world’s fifth-largest economy (of which its agriculture and environment are huge parts) – no statewide goal exists to ensure a sustainable water supply for California’s future. What big, bold vision has ever been achieved without first setting a goal?

Without such a goal, we have no clear path forward, and we don’t know which direction and how far we need to go to achieve a reliable water supply.

In a state always preoccupied with fears of drought and the impacts of climate change, we have not determined how much water will be needed in the short- and long-term to address these existential threats.

Sure, individual water districts, including San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, know how much water is needed for residents and businesses, being responsible for actually delivering water. But our water supplies depend on factors beyond our direct control — climate change impacts, of course, but also the operations of California’s giant system of reservoirs, canals, pipelines, and pumps. Our most recent rainy season showed this system to be outdated, as huge volumes of stormwater that would ideally be saved for future dry seasons were not captured, because California’s water storage and delivery systems have remained largely unchanged in recent decades, despite climate change and the state’s population growth.

Governor Newsom has developed a water supply strategy to begin addressing the immediate shortfall and urgent operational changes, but the state does not have a long-term statewide goal in statute that would meet the needs of its people, places, and economy.

In a state always preoccupied with fears of drought and the impacts of climate change, we have not determined how much water will be needed in the short- and long-term to address these existential threats.

The absence of a clear, overarching target has left California with a policy that lacks a vision and is unprepared to address a changing climate. Current strategies to manage the state’s water and guarantee long-term supplies are piecemeal and limited by, to borrow Governor Newsom’s phrasing, “a scarcity mindset” overly focused on conservation.

California, like other states, has a long and successful track record of setting well-defined targets in certain sectors, as a way of clarifying plans and putting specific policies into action.

In the area of climate, for example, California has set a goal to achieve net-zero carbon pollution by 2045, which means cutting air pollution by 71%, greenhouse gas emissions by 85%, and gas consumption by 94%. Identifying these targets allowed the state to set corresponding goals in related sectors. In transportation, all new cars sold in California will be zero-emission vehicles by 2035. And in energy, the state has set a goal of 100% clean electricity  by 2045 (toward which California must triple its current grid capacity and build 6 gigawatts of new renewable and storage resources annually).

Thus, from one clear target, multiple sub-targets follow, affording elected officials, stakeholders, and ordinary citizens alike a clear, shared path toward progress.

To date, the California Water Plan has failed to provide that guidance. But pending legislation would change that uncertainty and provide a measurable goal to achieve, providing oversight and careful implementation to achieve it.

SB 366 (Caballero) would set a statewide water supply target to ensure the sustainability of cities and towns, agriculture, and the environment, instead of just managing for scarcity. Consisting of three main parts, the bill would establish long-term water supply targets for the state to achieve by specific deadlines and update the requirement that state agencies develop a plan to achieve those targets. All of this would be done in cooperation with local water agencies, wastewater service providers, and other stakeholders.

As in other sectors, the point is to set a water target as a way to create clarity, accountability, and follow-through—to identify standards by which we can measure progress and adjust policies. Convening government officials and various stakeholders as a fundamental part of that process, this legislation is meant to achieve needed progress on a subject as essential and complex as water is in California.

SB 366 passed the California State Senate and will be considered in the State Assembly in 2024.

Its passage is urgent and would mark a much-needed policy change, putting California on a clearer path to securing a reliable supply for future generations.

Heather Dyer is the General Manager of San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District.

Graham Knaus is the CEO of the California Association of Counties.