Letters to the Editor: Save the Colorado River. Desalinate water from the Pacific Ocean to the Colorado River is one of the leading solutions to drought in California and Colorado. As California suffers from an extensive, severe drought due to a lack of reliable freshwater from the Colorado River, we must turn to the mighty Colorado River for the water it produces.
The Colorado River Basin is the largest, most productive and self-sufficient freshwater aquifer on the planet. As the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s annual report indicates, the basin provides more than a third of the nation’s annual fresh water supply. To be clear, the river’s water is the largest, free-flowing water source in the world. It is also the most valuable, most widely consumed and most important resource.
If it is not enough to fill an ocean, it will fill a bottle.
The Colorado River is the lifeblood of California, a majority-minority state, where more than half the residents are not of Latino heritage.
In California, the Colorado River water supply is critical to our state economy, agriculture, health, environment and recreation.
The Colorado River, which we must conserve and sustain for our future generations, is part of a vital natural ecosystem.
We cannot solve the drought without our water supply from the Colorado River. That water, when desalinated and stored, will fill more bottles than water from the tap. We are all familiar with the dangers of thirst.
In the words of California State Water Resources Secretary Rob Murrietta, “This water is too important to waste.”
A few years ago, President George W. Bush vetoed the use of the Colorado River water for desalination. It was one of his final acts as the chief executive. I am glad that he recognized the threat to our water supply.
We can have no safety without our water supply. As Californians and as Republicans, we must work together to preserve a water source that is essential for our future.
SALVATION
Editor’s note: This is Part II of a two-part series on water issues in the state and district. Read part I.
The California Department of Water Resources has announced that the long-term drought is nearly over. There are still some places in the state where water is in short supply,
