Green bites: Global warming and my money
Sam Grello
Issue date: 3/25/08 Section: Feature
My name is Sam Grello and I will cover environmental issues that affect the Mt. SAC community this semester. I am a senior at UC Berkeley majoring in Conservation and Resource Studies and I am taking a break this semester.
For Southern California climate, change means more than dying polar bears and tanned British people. Climate change is more frequent fires, more tree-killing insects, and less water. Climate theory and climate models suggest that the dry areas will get dryer and the wet areas wetter.
Southern California gets water from three places: Owens Valley, the Sacramento Delta, and the Colorado River. The Owens Valley and Sacramento Delta water supplies are dependent on snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The Colorado River depends on runoff from the Colorado River Basin.
All three areas are affected by climate change. In the Sierra Nevada there is less snow and more rain. Now the runoff that flows to the rivers comes earlier and is more erratic. This may become a serious problem for farmers. The Colorado River Basin has had below average runoff for seven of the last eight years.
Growing concerns over the water supply are already having an affect on our pocketbooks. Last Monday, the budget committee for the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California voted to increase water rates by 14.3 percent a month for 2009.
Citing shortages in water supplies, the MWD staff stated that the rate increase will not cover the expenses of bringing water to Southern California. Before the month is out the MWD may raise 2009 rates an additional six percent. The MWD has plans to ask for more rate hikes over the next three years. Staff project that rates may rise six to 14 percent in 2010 and five to 10 percent in 2011. By 2011, some MWD customers may see their water bills increase by seven dollars.
The MWD supplies water to 18 million consumers in six counties. The city of Walnut does not receive water from the MWD. But increases in the MWD supplied water will trickle into all aspects of Southern California's economy. As all businesses require water to operate, prices in Los Angeles County are bound to increase.
For Southern California climate, change means more than dying polar bears and tanned British people. Climate change is more frequent fires, more tree-killing insects, and less water. Climate theory and climate models suggest that the dry areas will get dryer and the wet areas wetter.
Southern California gets water from three places: Owens Valley, the Sacramento Delta, and the Colorado River. The Owens Valley and Sacramento Delta water supplies are dependent on snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The Colorado River depends on runoff from the Colorado River Basin.
All three areas are affected by climate change. In the Sierra Nevada there is less snow and more rain. Now the runoff that flows to the rivers comes earlier and is more erratic. This may become a serious problem for farmers. The Colorado River Basin has had below average runoff for seven of the last eight years.
Growing concerns over the water supply are already having an affect on our pocketbooks. Last Monday, the budget committee for the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California voted to increase water rates by 14.3 percent a month for 2009.
Citing shortages in water supplies, the MWD staff stated that the rate increase will not cover the expenses of bringing water to Southern California. Before the month is out the MWD may raise 2009 rates an additional six percent. The MWD has plans to ask for more rate hikes over the next three years. Staff project that rates may rise six to 14 percent in 2010 and five to 10 percent in 2011. By 2011, some MWD customers may see their water bills increase by seven dollars.
The MWD supplies water to 18 million consumers in six counties. The city of Walnut does not receive water from the MWD. But increases in the MWD supplied water will trickle into all aspects of Southern California's economy. As all businesses require water to operate, prices in Los Angeles County are bound to increase.
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