While winter rains have refilled California reservoirs and dumped near-record snow on the mountains, communities across the state are wisely seeking ways reduce their vulnerability to future droughts. One option some are considering is seawater desalination. Tapping the vast ocean seems like a promising solution, and proponents often tout Australia and Israel, which have adopted this technology. We agree that California should look at experiences in other parts of the world. But we need to have all the facts and make the right decisions for our communities.

California is hell-bent on draining the Sierra by taking water from one region to meet the environmental needs of another. Though essential to the survival of the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta, the Sierra Nevada watershed is rarely recognized for its natural resources and significance. Environmental groups want more water for fish in the Delta and are willing to sacrifice the quality of life of Sierra communities with permanent and forced water rationing. It is about extracting resources from the Sierra to satisfy downstream interests – first gold, then timber and now water.

When it comes to managing water in uncertain times, few things are more important than knowing how much is flowing in the river alongside your city, or filling the reservoir that irrigates local farms. That information is crucial to deciding how much water is available to irrigate crops, whether to declare a flood emergency or whether to launch a lazy rafting excursion. But this basic information is at risk across the West because the nation lacks a reliable funding source for the simple stream gages that measure river flows.

Gov. Jerry Brown’s push to expedite planning and construction of the twin tunnels project in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta violates key parts of the Delta Reform Act of 2009 and has the state Department of Water Resources abdicating its responsibilities by turning over management of the project to water agencies, the Legislative Delta Caucus charged Tuesday in a letter to the governor. “The governor’s proposed WaterFix Project is a boondoggle, plain and simple,” said Assemblyman Jim Frazier, D-Solano, who co-chairs the Caucus with State Senator Bill Dodd, D-Healdsbur.

Colorado Faces an estimated water deficit of 560,000 acre-feet by 2050, due in part to an expected population increase. But it has a long-term plan to address that looming shortage. The Colorado Water Plan – the first-ever statewide water strategy in Colorado – was ordered up by Gov. John Hickenlooper in 2013 and finalized at the end of 2015. This May, the state legislature allocated a first slug of dedicated funding to meet objectives in the plan. The goal is to bring water demand into balance with supply while maintaining existing urban and agricultural values and also improving stream health throughout the state.