KXO Radio AM1230 and FM 107.5

Andrew Tabar’s response (Tuesday, August 5) to the above referenced article exemplifies the blissful ignorance of many. Mr. Tabar seems to be unaware of the fact that all of the City of San Diego and much of San Diego County lies in a desert region based on average annual rainfall. Blessed with temperate weather the region can exist it its present form only with significant amounts of water imported from other regions of the state.
San Diego’s dependence on imported water is somewhat analogous to our country’s addiction to imported oil. San Diego has virtually no significant local sources of water, yet seemingly little has been done to reduce growth or institute meaningful conservation measures, and it continues to become increasingly dependent on “foreign” sources of water. However, the residents of Imperial Valley long, long ago obtained the legal rights to the water that flows naturally to its doorstep. The Imperial Valley does not import its water needs, it merely uses the water to which it has long been entitled, and has in the past been very generous in sharing a portion of its entitlement with others.
The lack of desire or ability of local public officials to make and implement the hard but critical decisions necessary with regards to possible new sources of water, conservation and reclamation measures, and land use planning have painted virtually all of Southwestern California into a corner. In San Diego County, the need to conserve water and obtain new renewable sources of water is not denied by many, with the infighting of local officials over the potential of desalination and the level of effort to be devoted to reclamation measures stalling any meaningful resolution. In some ways the current bursting of the real estate bubble may be a blessing in that it should temporarily diminish the region’s need to meaningfully address this issue.
In his letter to the editor, Mr. Tabar seems to imply that the water used to grow crops (also know as food) in Imperial County should be diverted to the costal regions, as using such water to produce food “is a huge waste of water that could be better used elsewhere in California and in the West”. Would we then also further expand our importation of food from foreign sources, becoming increasing dependent on others for the staples of life as San Diego has become with its water and our country with oil?
With all of the recent food scares, most originating with crops imported from other countries, I would think that Mr. Tabar and others would be increasingly interested in protecting our domestic food production, and not with diverting water from agricultural areas so that more pools, hot tubs and fountains could be built and filled in San Diego County.
Also, California agricultural producers provide commodities of ever increasing value that our region, state and country can export to our trading partners, thereby helping to improve our overall trade imbalance. All of those container ships arriving daily at our ports bring an assortment of products produced in foreign countries. What are we going to use to fill them if our domestic agricultural production is reduced to provide more water to areas that have not done their part to conserve and reclaim their own sources of water. The American dollar has grown ever weaker in recent months, driven in large part by a growing trade imbalance – we are buying more from than we are selling to our trading partners.
Just as with water and oil, Southwestern California (including all of San Diego), seems to have little hope of every achieving overall energy independence as its population continues to grow and NIMBY activism curtails its efforts to boost local energy production. Unlike San Diego, the potential for the production of renewable energy in the Imperial Valley is only beginning to dawn. Proven reserves of geothermal energy, developing resources of wind and biomass energy, and a seemingly endless supply of untapped solar energy are sure to increase the importance of the Imperial Valley in the equation that will solve our region’s future energy demands. Would Mr. Tabar consider the production of food and energy, much needed by other areas of our region, “a huge waste of water”? Like water, in today’s modern society it is hard to enjoy oneself without enough to eat and the convenience of electricity.

Sincerely,




John W. Kennerson, Jr.