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Peter Gleick: California Reservoirs at the "Bottom Of The Barrel"

John Chacon
/
California Department of Water Resources

Earlier this month an op-ed ran in the LA Times with a headline suggesting that California will run out of water in a year.  Valley Public Radio’s Ezra David Romero reports while the record setting drought is bad, we’re not there yet.

The California drought is serious.

State officials are applauding restrictions on watering lawns and legislators have proposed emergency legislation.  But the idea that the state will go waterless in a year is far-fetched according toPeter Gleickwith the water-focused think-tank the Pacific Institute.

GLEICK: “It’s not that we’re going to run out of water in a year. We’re digging deep, but we’re at the bottom of our reservoir barrel if you will.”

The think-take came out with a reportthis week saying the drought has caused a shift in energy sources for electricity, from hydroelectricity to natural gas.

The report claims the switch has cost California rate payers $1.4 billion more for electricity than in average years. It also claims the increase has resulted in an 8 percent increase in carbon dioxide and other pollutants between 2011 and 2014.

Ezra David Romero is an award-winning radio reporter and producer. His stories have run on Morning Edition, Morning Edition Saturday, Morning Edition Sunday, All Things Considered, Here & Now, The Salt, Latino USA, KQED, KALW, Harvest Public Radio, etc.
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