The following are summaries of stakeholder positions. Distribute one or more to each student group and ask them to use the web GIS to gather data to support their position.
US Fish and Wildlife Service
You are a member of the California board of directors for the US Fish and Wildlife service. This organization is dedicated to preserving and managing the numbers of fish and other wildlife throughout the United States. You are quite familiar with water issues in California and the other western states because water projects can greatly affect the habitats of wildlife.
Your organization has spent years documenting the researching the impact of water projects on wildlife. You have seen many cases of loss of habitat for organisms and pollution. You are well aware of many wildlife disasters that have occurred due to human manipulation of water resources. Your organization has documented ecological disasters such as the Kesterson Reservoir and Tulare Late, and you are determined that situations like these will not arise again.
Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency is an organization dedicated to the protection of the environment. It has spent years researching and documenting potential environmental disasters and their impact on society. The organization believes that it is extremely important for us to maintain and protect the environment in order to ensure the future.
The Environmental Protection Agency has been a key player in the water issues in the US for many years due to the impact that water projects can have on the environment. The EPA spends a lot of time researching proposed projects to determine their environmental impact. Thin the past, research has focused on projects such as dam building, aqueduct construction, overuse of water, and diverting rivers. The EPA is extensive research on the Kesterson Reservoir and Tulare Lake and is committed to preventing environmental disasters such as these in the future. The EPA also keeps a close eye on farmers and the amount of pollution that they are causing.
The EPA also researches alternative options to water projects and proposes them to governments. One alternative water option that is popular in the EPA lately is water conservation instead of water projects. This includes research directed at producing new crops that use less water, using recycled water for crops, and growing crops that are more tolerating of high salinity.
Politician
You are a politician in the California State Legislature. As such, you have been elected by the people to represent their needs and their opinions in the state government. You are quite familiar with the water issues that California faces and have made it your priority to assure that there is enough water for our state to thrive. The people elected you to the legislature because of your campaign for keeping taxes down and your position on water issues.
As a politician, you must always consider the outcomes of your decisions before you vote on an issue. You try to think about the future and how your decisions today might impact it. Also, you must consider the cost of any projects that you approve. Remember, you were elected because you promised to keep taxes low. Lastly, you are more than likely concerned about your political future. Any decision you make today could help or harm your chances of reelection.
Due to your campaign promise of assuring water availability in California, you were heavily supported by the California Water council and the California Farmers Union during your campaign for office. You must be careful not to offend these groups because they are one of your main sources of campaign contributions.
California Water Council
You are a high ranking officer in the California Water Council, the organization that is responsible for purchasing water for the state of California and distributing that water so that all parts of California receive the water that they need to function normally. It is your responsibility to find enough water for the state so that all parts of society can flourish; including cities, agriculture, and industry.
You receive money from many sources for purchasing water for the state including money from laws passed by politicians, ordinary citizen tax dollars, ordinary citizens utility bills, farmers, environmental organizations, and industry. You know that it is extremely important to please all of these people who fund your programs so that you can continue to receive money for purchasing water. Without the money to purchase the water, there will be water shortages, and society would lay the blame on the California Water Council for not purchasing enough water to supply the state’s needs.
The California Water Council is constantly hearing new proposals for how to get enough water for the state including asking politicians to raise taxes to buy more water, raising the price of water for farmers and other industry, raising the price of water for ordinary citizens, and conserving water. All of these solutions have their good and bad points and it is your job to balance them so that you get enough water and do not upset those who you receive funding from.
California Farmers Union
You are farmers in the California Farmers Union. As a farmer, you know the history of water in California and know that you have rights to a certain portion of water for your cropland. You are also aware that many people do not believe that you should be allowed to farm in a desert region such as California .Water is vital to your financial future because without it there are no crops, and without crops there is no money. Currently you are providing ¼ of America’s food and also exporting food which brings a lot of money into the state. You farm on land that has been passed down in your family for three generations. When you grew up, you always knew that you would eventually farm the family land. You spent your childhood learning the trade of being a farmer from your family. Farming is your life. At home you have a large family and your children and your children are learning to be farmers from your example so that they too may one day farm the family land.
As a small family farmer, you do not make very much money compared to the big business farming corporations. Higher water costs would certainly put you out of business making it difficult for you to provide for your family.
Board Member, Municipal Water District
The water districts in the Delta are interested in seeing that the water they manage is safe for their customers. This agency sells water to the various communities in the Delta area and wants its customers to be satisfied that the quality of their water is good and safe for drinking. This is their primary focus.
The Water District has met with the community to get input from citizens, businesses and local government agencies. The board of the water district has formulated from these meetings their plan to give the district access to a dependable local source of water, provide good quality drinking water to its customers, and still protect the fragile environment of the Delta.
Hydrologist for the Bureau of Reclamation
The Bureau of Reclamation, a branch of the U.S. Department of the Interior, was created in 1902 under the leadership of President Theodore Roosevelt to turn western desert lands into farmland by providing them with water. In California, that meant building the dams and reservoirs of the Central Valley Project.
A hydrologist is a scientist who studies the effects of water on the earth’s soils and surface. This particular hydrologist knows about the salts and minerals found in the solids of the western San Joaquin Valley and the problems they present for the farmers there. This hydrologist is also very informed on the Delta environmental issues. S/He works closely with the Central Valley Project people who oversee the transport of water to the Central Valley farmers and Southern California.
Chairperson of the State Water Resources Control Board
The State Water Resources Control Boards (SWRCB) and its nine Regional Water Quality Control Boards regulate water quality and the quantity allocated for each of the competing uses. The SWRCB tries to manage the sate’s water to satisfy all the competing needs for water with the supply available and protect water quality. It also is responsible for planning to meet future water quality needs in the state.
The goal of the SWRCB water management program is to meet projected water demands through the year 2050. The plan stresses the importance of management of all water, including balancing the use of surface water and groundwater to reduce groundwater overdraft, new water supply development, and increased conservation and reclamation. Thus the SWRCB is those who decide about the construction of new dams. They are also involved in encouraging use of recycled water and plans for conservation of water.
General Manager, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) serves an area of 5,200 square miles covering six counties: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura. The $220 million Colorado River Aqueduct was completed in 1941 and with recent expansions delivers more than 1.2 million acre-feet a year to southern California.
MWD also buys water from the State Water Project. This water is transported south from the Delta through the 444-mile long California Aqueduct. MWD has contracted with the state for delivery of more than 2 million acre-feet a year (1.8 billion gallons a day).
A combination of rapid urban growth in metropolitan southern California and charges of Imperial Irrigation District (IID)“wasting water” after flooding problems in Imperial Valley’s Salton Sea led to a landmark MWD-IID agreement, in which MWD would pay for water conservation measures in the valley in return for the conserved water. Under the terms of the agreement, MWD would pay $233 million to concrete-line canals, improve IID’ water distribution system, and fund on-farm water management improvements.
More recently, as water cutbacks from the Central Valley Project have occurred, the MWD has instituted water conservation projects, such as building more reservoirs, encouraging the use of low-flush toilets, and educating the public on water conservation measures. Having enough water is always a problem, however.
General Manager, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP)
The Agency responsible for obtaining water and energy for the city of Los Angeles is the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). Much of the water Los Angeles has gotten used to using has been withdrawn in recent years. The Aqueduct to Mono Lake, by court order, has been forced to reduce to a mere trickle the amount that can be taken. Last year, another court decision reduced the water that the aqueduct to Owens River could transport to LA. The water ration from the Colorado River has recently been reduced also, as stakeholders up river claimed their right to more water. The endangerment of the Delta Smelt has created a problem resulting in a 10-day shutdown of the pumps at the Delta in June 2007. Following this, the water sent south has been reduced. The LADWP is having a difficult time meeting its water needs.