BAKERSFIELD, CA, The California Water Foundation unveiled a modified version of the California state flag, replacing the grizzly bear with a desert camel to emphasize the severity of the state’s groundwater crisis.
In an attempt to urge lawmakers to pass groundwater management legislation, the Foundation is launching a social media campaign with print and online ads encouraging Californians to support the initiative by sharing the camel flag. Copies of the print ad will also be distributed to legislative offices, reminding lawmakers to protect California’s groundwater.
“Groundwater is a critical resource for our state’s farms, towns and cities,” said Lester Snow, executive director of the California Water Foundation. “Until we effectively manage groundwater, our state’s economy, farms, and environment will remain in jeopardy. The fact is, we are living on borrowed water, and the system is no longer sustainable. We need passage of comprehensive groundwater management legislation so California has water for the long haul.”
According to the press release, the California Water Foundation is urging support for Senate Bill 1168 (Pavley) and Assembly Bill 1739 (Dickinson), which they say will streamline groundwater management.
These two complementary bills are working together to advance management of California’s groundwater resources. Specifically, these bills:
- Empower local agencies by providing them with the tools and technical assistance they need to sustainably manage their groundwater resources
- Provide sufficient time for local agencies to plan for and achieve stainability goals
- Provide a limited backstop for the state to establish groundwater sustainability programs until local agencies can take over
- Exempt adjudicated basins, except for an annual reporting requirement
- Focus on phasing in basins that are at high risk of over draft
In July, the Foundation released a report detailing how groundwater management systems are outdated and in need of improvement. The foundation has also created the Groundwater Voices Coalition, which hopes to influence decision makers by uniting the concerns of Californians demanding a new framework for groundwater supplies.
“Already, without effective groundwater management, whole communities are losing their water supply. In many areas, residential wells are bone dry, leaving families living out of buckets and water hauled from neighbors,” said Laurel Firestone, co-founder of the Community Water Center and one of the Groundwater Voices. “We cannot afford to wait any longer to start to control our groundwater resources.”
More information can be found at CaliforniaWaterFoundation.org