In his letter to the editor (Nov. 17), Ron Perry questions the veracity of “water shortages” during the current drought in light of continued residential development, and quite understandably so. Lots of new dwellings are being built. Yes, that’s true. We’re in a drought period and water supplies are running low. Yes, that’s also true. But…and this is a BIG but…that’s not how urban development planners decide things. Mr. Perry cited some pretty impressive sources, ranging from the U.S. Geological Survey to NASA, but that’s only half the picture. I did not see a single water utility in his list of sources. He didn’t use the Metropolitan Water District or even SCV Water as a source for information that, if he had it, would have made what he said in his letter “completely” correct, which it isn’t. In fact, he probably wouldn’t have written it in the first place.
For example, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, where I work (and on the water side, no less), updates its Urban Water Management Plan every five years and that 280-page report projects water supply and use looking ahead 25 years. That report is approved by the LADWP Board of Commissioners, certified by the L.A. City Council, and submitted to the state Department of Water Resources. Every water utility in the state with more than 3,000 customers is required by state law to do this. So to make a very long story very short, the water that will be used by these new residences was already allocated several years ago, droughts notwithstanding. The Urban Water Management Plans take into consideration a variety of factors, only half of which are covered by Mr. Perry’s sources.
I would suggest Googling the “Urban Water Management Plan” for “SCV Water” for the longer version of what I just wrote.
Arthur G. Saginian
Santa Clarita
