Drought Inspires Creative Suggestions To Address Water Shortage
National Memo
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Last month, after Gov. Jerry Brown ordered Californians to cut back their water use, a retired engineering professor in Carmel revived a decades-old proposal for easing the drought: icebergs.
He wrote to officials urging them to consider towing giant hunks of ice across the ocean to California, a fantastical concept that has never quite gained steam.
The suggestion was dutifully filed away in a database of drought-relief ideas sent from around the state and nation, compiled since the beginning of last year.
With the drought threatening every aspect of Californians’ lives — how long they stay in the shower and what food they eat — it’s not surprising that so many have opinions on how to handle the problem. Officials have cataloged more than 170 messages containing suggestions and received untold more in emails, phone calls and public meetings.
In a sense, people are responding to a rallying cry from Brown, who has repeatedly cited the state’s history on the cutting edge of new technology and saying the dry spell “will stimulate incredible innovation.”
The pitches run the gamut. Would the state like to invest in biodegradable towels that don’t need to be washed with water? What about covering reservoirs to prevent evaporation? Why aren’t more desalination plants being built?
One person suggested a water pipeline from Alaska, an idea also offered by William Shatner. The “Star Trek” actor’s proposal was more modest, reaching only to Seattle.
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