Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
A New Thought Process
Las Vegas's Pat Mulroy, one of the country's oft-mentioned water
elite, suggests a fundamental rethinking of the nation's water pol-
icy, but with a twist. “There are areas that need water quality pro-
tection. There are areas that need fl ood protection. And there are
areas that need drought protection,” says Mulroy. “You don't need
a national water czar. I would create a water coordinating coun-
cil that would bring together the Army Corps of Engineers, the
Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior,
and maybe a water quality assessment group, and have a national
coordinating committee—almost like an interdisciplinary team.”
In the vein of cooperation, Mulroy says that her agency, the
Southern Nevada Water Authority, has teamed with a number of
other major water utilities, including those in Seattle, Portland,
San Francisco, San Diego, Denver, and New York, to form a climate
action committee. The group is working toward creating a cohesive
research effort to come up with a central global climate model.
That's important, says Mulroy, because the real potential of a water
crisis relates to climate change, and currently there are 20 different
climate models.
“The entire dialogue around climate change has been about
mitigating carbon emission and combating the problem of global
warming. What we haven't talked about is this broader problem.
Some consequences of global warming already are beginning to play
themselves out, and a strategy has to be developed—especially for
water utilities—on how to adapt and what the possible consequences
of climate change are in various areas of the country,” Mulroy adds.
WATER REALITIES
•
Those who wield water power range from state engineers
and directors of state departments of natural resources
to heads of water utilities, watershed organizations, and
regional water boards with power and mission, to private
individuals capitalizing on their large water rights hold-
ings, and more.
