Surprised? We certainly face major challenges like global warming and increased demand. So some people are rushing to build dams -- expensive 19th century solutions to 21st century problems.

We don’t need solutions that are expensive, destructive, and useless.

A little common sense shows us that the real answers to our problems are easy, efficient, and smart.

Why Dams Don't Work

1. Expensive

Dams today are the most expensive option for water, costing billions of dollars each to build and maintain. Taxpayers could end up paying a bill that’s almost 50 times -- yes, 50 times! -- the cost of smarter solutions.

2. Destructive

California already has lost 90% of our river environment. We have lost 95% of our salmon and steelhead habitat. Our commercial fisheries and the communities they once supported are barely hanging on as it is.

3. Useless

California already has 1400 dams on our rivers. As a practical matter, there is very little water to collect behind new dams anymore. According to the state, dams are even less reliable than cloud seeding!

Why Common Sense Does Work

1. Saving water = easy.

Conservation really does work. California has cut its per capita water use by 50% over the past 40 years, even as the state has boomed. Simply using the tools we already have like new appliances and drip irrigation we can easily cut our water use another 20% and still support a growing population and even bigger economy.

2. Recycling water = efficient.

Why spray clean, clear drinking water on our golf courses and median strips? We can use the rainwater than runs into our storm drains and recycle our wastewater. Through reclamation and recycling we can save enough drinking water each year for 1.5 million households roughly all of Los Angeles.

3. Storing water = smart.

Every year enough water for almost 3 million households one-quarter of all the households in California disappears into thin air behind our existing dams. It’s much smarter to store our water underground, by allowing it to seep into the water table. In fact, we already store enough water underground to fill Hetch Hetchy 15 times over and there’s room for much, much more.

Still have questions? You're not alone. Check out these FAQs.

NOTES

• Dams cost almost 50 times as much as other solutions comes from State Water Plan 2005.
• Conservation figures taken from Pacific Institute.
• Population and households figures taken from U.S. Census Bureau State & County Quick Facts.
• Usage is based on a generous one acre foot per household per year. The Water Education Foundation says an average household uses between one-half and one acre foot per year. An acre foot equals 326,000 gallons, about enough to cover a football field with one foot of water.
• Recycling capacity taken from “Recycling Water 2030: Recommendations of California’s Water Recycling Task Force,” 2003.
• Hetch Hetchy capacity of 360,000 acre feet taken from California Department of Water Resources.

  This simple message could make a big difference in the way people think about California water. Help us spread the word. Tell people what you know. We can send you -- free -- copies of our handy, wallet size brochure with this information. Consider it your river-saving cheat sheet! Contact Tony Bogar at Friends of the River to order your copies.