River Water - For Salmon or San Diego?
North coast residents were stunned in January to learn of a proposal by an Alaskan company, and a global consortium which includes the Alaska company, to capture winter water from the Gualala and Albion rivers. The water would be transported by sea to San Diego, and possibly Mexico, according to Alaska Water Export's owner, Ric Davidge. Alaska Water Exports requested permission from the state to take 20,000 acre-feet of water a year from the Gualala River (Application #31194). World Water SA requested 10,000 acre-feet a year from the Albion River (Application #31195). The water would be pumped from large cisterns buried beneath the gravel, about a mile upriver in each estuary. It would flow through a 24-inch concrete pipeline, also buried under the estuary, and be pumped into huge water bags floating in the ocean near shore. The bags from the Gualala would be picked up and towed by tugboats to southern California, where the water would be sold for about $550 an acre-foot.
Opposition to the plan was immediate and widespread. Environmentalists, agricultural representatives and politicians all vowed to fight it. As a result, in mid-February, Alaska Water Exports and World Water SA apparently withdrew their request, intending resubmission at a later date. In a state where much of the population relies on water that must be transported over great distances, this proposal is surely not the only one of its kind in the works. Local rivers are in danger, and only constant vigilance can protect them. Readers are encouraged to contact the State Water Resources Control Board/Division of Water Rights at (916) 341-5300 to be kept informed of future projects. For information on this project, contact Katherine Gaffney of that agency at (916) 341-5360.
Copyright Mendocino Environmental Center 2002
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