Leaders in thirsty West discuss future

More tools needed to help manage water, NOAA chief says

Patricia R. McCoy
Capital Press

October 19, 2007

SALT LAKE CITY - Conrad C. Lautenbacher, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, wants to change the way government agencies that manage natural resources prepare for drought.

"We want to connect the water services you need with the climate work we already do," the retired Navy vice admiral told a water workshop here Oct. 10.

NOAA already offers some useful services, but more is needed, Lautenbacher told attendees at the conference titled "Water Policies and Planning in the West: Ensuring a Sustainable Future." It was sponsored by the Western Governors Association and the Western States Water Council.

"We need key improvements in climate monitoring and research for water resources management. We need to be able to say a drought is coming," he said. "Then we need to know what adaptations to make to stop or at least manage that drought."

Climate services, going well beyond the existing weather forecasting system, would be a comprehensive way to monitor, collect and integrate the key predictors of a drought such as heat waves, floods, El Niño-La Niña changes, storm track variations, deep oceanic circulation, greenhouse gases and solar variability, he said.

A seasonal drought outlook, a drought threat assessment, a seasonal wildfire outlook and a U.S. drought monitor are already offered by NOAA on its website, he said.

Lautenbacher's address opened the conference, which drew more than 200 irrigators, hydrologists, lawyers and water experts from 17 states.

Conference activities consisted of a series of keynote addresses followed by panels during which speakers described specific projects going on across the West. Then, during breakout sessions, attendees hammered out a series of policy recommendations that will be reported back to the governors.

Another keynote speaker was Steven L. Johnson, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, who said that while much was accomplished in cleaning up the nation's rivers and streams in the latter half of the 20th Century, more needs to be done.

"Abandoned hard rock mines are a threat to drinkable, fishable and swimmable streams across the nation, but particularly in the West," Johnson said. "For too long the technical difficulties and threat of legal liability have discouraged those who want to help. With the help of the Western Governors Association, we currently have a bipartisan good Samaritan bill before Congress, targeted at giving those people the freedom to act. We hope it passes."

The nation's water infrastructure challenge belongs to everyone, Johnson said. There are significant needs, particularly in light of the growth of the U.S. population.

"The U.S. Census Bureau predicts the U.S. population will be 420 million people by 2050," he said. "We clearly need smart strategies. Americans enjoy and take for granted clean, safe water. We need to change the way we value it, and help people realize investing in the infrastructure is an investment in their community."

The Bureau of Reclamation has a long list of successes and achievements in water management, but still faces some very serious issues," said Robert W. Johnson, commissioner of the agency and another keynote speaker at the conference. Among them is meeting the requirements of the Endangered Species Act.

"The population of the California delta smelt took a huge dive this year. A judge ruled our biological opinion unacceptable," Johnson said. "Our hat is off to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is very aggressively looking for solutions. The California economy is at risk. We must solve that problem."

The biological opinion for salmon recovery in the Columbia Basin is also being revised under court order, the commissioner said.

"The judge set a new standard, ruling that we must not merely do no harm. We must also move toward recovery," Johnson said. "A ton of effort and a lot of money is being put into this."

Aging infrastructure is also a serious challenge for Reclamation and the Army Corps of Engineers. Dams and irrigation systems operated by both agencies have maintenance and upgrade needs, he said.

Staff writer Pat McCoy is based in Boise . E-mail: pmccoy@capitalpress.com.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted
material  herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have
expressed  a  prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit
research and  educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

Source:  http://www.capitalpress.info/main.asp?Search=1&Article

ID=36141&SectionID=67&SubSectionID=&S=1