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Gulf states are among the most water-scarce in the world. With few freshwater resources and low rainfall, many countries have turned to desalination (where salt is removed from seawater) for their clean water needs. But Gulf states are heading for “peak salt”: the more they desalinate, the more concentrated wastewater, brine, is pumped back into the sea; and as the Gulf becomes saltier, desalination becomes more expensive. “In time, it’s going to become impossible to use desalination in a way that makes economic sense,” says Gökçe Günel, an anthropologist at the University of Arizona.

 

The Santa Clara Valley Water District provides water and flood control to nearly 2 million people in 15 cities and owns and operates the Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center (SVAWPC), the largest advanced water purification plant in Northern California. Jim Fiedler is the chief operating officer of the San Jose-based organization, and leads its water program. He spoke with Water Deeply last week about his work and the challenges his organization faces five years into the drought.

A transparent and universal platform for sharing water data across the state will result from a new law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown and authored by Assemblyman Bill Dodd, D-Napa. “The drought has exposed the need for a modern water information system to address the state’s water supply,” Dodd said. “California does not suffer from a lack of water data, but from a lack of usable water data needed to make smart decisions. This bill will create instant and accessible water information that will better enable water managers to cope with future drought conditions.”

Since the historic California drought began five years ago the public has been inundated with water news. Governments and governing agencies have been bludgeoned with new policies and regulations. And there is little sense to be made of it all. Nonetheless, water policy in California is prepared to move forward and more confusion may be on the way with the State Water Resource Control Board’s (SWRCB) latest published proposal.