Geoscience Reference
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and more frequent: an increase in the amount of water stored underground
would free up surface reservoirs for l ood control. Underground storage
might also be less costly and more environmentally friendly than building
more surface reservoirs.
Peter Gleick and his colleagues at the Pacii c Institute point out that the
twentieth-century approach to water policy was in creating “new” water for
human use by building water infrastructure—such as dams and aqueducts—
for water storage and distribution. (For further discussion, see chapter 12
in this topic.) h ey argue that it is time to create new water through con-
servation and improved water-ei ciency measures. Moreover, improving the
ei ciency of water use can have additional benei ts, including better water
quality, healthier aquatic ecosystems, greater reliability of the water supply
during droughts, decreased energy demands, reduced water infrastructure
costs, and higher crop productivity. Gleick 's team also points out that reduc-
ing unproductive uses of water is another important strategy in coping with
water scarcity. For instance, improved technology and water management
can reduce the amount of water evaporated from impermeable urban surfaces
and irrigated i elds or blown of large sprinklers used by farms. h e team
predicts that improvements in water stewardship practices in the agricultural
sector, including reducing unproductive water loss, will go a long way toward
helping the state cope with extended droughts and long-term water scarcity
in the future.
Water policy experts and climatologists have also begun working together
to integrate water management, l ood protection, and restoration of aquatic
ecosystems. For instance, Michael Dettinger and his colleagues at the U.S.
Geological Survey have shown that a small number of very large storms pro-
vide 30-50 percent of California's annual water supply. (Atmospheric river
storms and the devastating l oods they produce are described in chapters 2,
4, and 10 above.) h ey point out that much of the water from these storms is
lost to human and ecosystem use during l ooding because managers are forced
to release water from over-full reservoirs. h e team advises that state resource
planners coordinate water management with l ood control ef orts, allowing
the restoration of some l oodplains to their natural function. h is approach
would increase the capacity of reservoirs without hampering l ood control.
Today, scientists have a much greater understanding of the causes and con-
sequences of the West's climate than at any time in the past. We have also
