History of the Battle for Water in California

Whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting.

              The line notoriously attributed to Mark Twain has become a common phrase for most on the Western front of the United States. In the Country’s most populous state, the quote could not ring any truer. Drought is no stranger to California and the fight for water is a tale as old as time. Today, residents are consistently reminded of the importance of conserving water and the limited resources at hand. Looking back in the state’s history, the story is not much different.

              In the mountains of Eastern San Diego County is Jim Madaffer, a colorful and charismatic native San Diegan with a long history in state and local politics. Madaffer serves as past-chair and a current member of the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors. He has also served as Chief of Staff to two San Diego City Councilmembers, as well as serving on the council himself from 2000 to 2008.

              “I have to apologize, I probably know way more than I should,” Madaffer chuckles when discussing his knowledge on California history.

              Arriving at his home near the historic town of Julian, you are greeted to his classic farmhouse style home set back off the main road. The white two-story has a wraparound porch and adjacent barn, blending seamlessly with the mountain landscape. Parked out front is his Ford F-250 underneath a collection of large oak trees.

Inside the rustic estate, there are oak floors, a wood burning stove, and comfortable leather furniture sprawling across the living room (usually occupied by the two English Bulldogs, Ruby and Red, who roam the house). Upon closer examination, you might notice the smart home monitors off the kitchen that display a feed of cameras scattered across the property. Open the garage next to the truck, and you will see Jim’s Tesla plugged into a set of “power walls” being charged by the solar panels on top of the barn. Shout out “Alexa,” and you can give a range of commands that can even include adjusting the lights. The longer you spend at the Madaffer’s, the more you notice the bridge between classic and innovation.

Sitting at his antique-style kitchen table, Madaffer explains the importance of water to any region.

              “The fundamental principals of any economy are adequate transportation, energy…and water. If you don’t have those three legs of the stool, you don’t have an economy,” Madaffer said.

As San Diego grew is the early 1900’s many of the decision makers for the region recognized the need for water. The Spreckels and Fletcher families were some of the ones who took to creating solutions to the already evident water issue. By building reservoirs such as Barrett Lake and Lake Morena, they began the ultimate effort of drought resiliency in the San Diego region.

“Here’s a good stat – San Diego gets less rain on an annual basis than Tucson, Arizona,” Madaffer said.

As the 1940’s rolled in, San Diego was booming with life. The Navy was building its presence in the region and the Department of Defense recognized the tight resources for water. Madaffer mentions that President Rosevelt ordered a canal to be built to connect San Diego to the Colorado River through the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) Canal to the north.

“By the time that original pipeline opened up – San Diego as a region did not have but about three months of water left,” Madaffer said.

As the 1990’s came, Madaffer shares how California as a state was in a serious drought. While the San Diego region relies on the water line from MWD, they ultimately have control on how much water gets let down south. As water resources were tight, MWD drew back supply to San Diego and ultimately, San Diego had to cut water to residents.

“I can remember the stories where there was a line two blocks long of people wanting to testify at the hearing, complaining that their water was being curtailed by their local agencies,” Madaffer said.

The decision makers at that time knew that something needed to be done to ensure nothing like this ever happened again.

“As the elder statesmen of San Diego, they put together a plan that would build what we ultimately knew as the Emergency Storage Project,” Madaffer said.

This effort included building new reservoirs, expanding the existing lake systems in San Diego, and building the desalination plant along the coast. According to the San Diego County Water Authority, this Emergency Storage Project is currently a system of reservoirs and connected pipelines that are designed to provide the region with water if the supply from the north is ever interrupted. Madaffer says this project is just another aspect of diversifying the way San Diego gets water, similar to the efforts put forward in 1910. 

As drought conditions have always been a factor on California’s water supply, the future is not looking too different. The States at Risk Organization estimates that the severity of widespread drought is expected to triple by 2050. As the conditions continue to worsen, Madaffer discusses the need to continue work in diversifying water resources. A recent proposal from Madaffer has been to run a pipeline directly from the Colorado River to San Diego.

“The idea behind the pipeline [is] no different than when President Rosevelt said we need a pipeline. [I] came up with this plan where we can’t keep watching the MWD rates [go up] so what are we going to do?

The pipeline would bypass the Metropolitan Water District and give San Diego a more reliable and affordable source of water directly from the Colorado. Currently, San Diego receives water from MWD for $550/acre-foot. An acre-foot is what is used to describe the measurement of water. The project is estimated to provide residents with a water much cheaper than that which comes from MWD – a cost Madaffer says is worth the investment.

“It doesn’t take a math genius to see that you could build a pipeline for three to five billion [dollars]. So why don’t we do that and [get a] cost much less than $550 per acre foot – and we’re gonna own it.”

While Madaffer is confident this innovative solution can solve the classic problem, others are not so sure. The proposal has been met with opposition from environmental groups and other water districts. Some say that the project would cause serious harm to the Anza Borrego Desert, where the pipeline is proposed to go through. Others say that the cost benefit would not outweigh the current relationship with the Metropolitan Water District.

While the fight for water will be an ever-evolving issue in California, the core issue remains the same. Water resources are as old as California’s modern history and one that does not weigh lightly with Jim Madaffer.

“All that stuff is normal – Mark Twain said whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting. And it’s true to this day.”