Editor:

The Nov. 2 article “Delta due for a quake” reminds us that California’s water supply and delivery system are highly vulnerable to natural disasters.

Many of the levees that protect our state’s water supply are at a breaking point and at risk of failure. Experts agree that a major earthquake could damage Delta levees and cripple statewide water deliveries for up to two years.

The Delta is the main hub of the water system that serves 25 million Californians in Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area and Central California. In addition to deteriorating levees, the Delta faces an ecological crisis so severe that water deliveries will be restricted in the coming months to protect a threatened fish species, the Delta smelt.

Coupled with the effects of drought, climate change and potential natural disasters, these problems are too serious to ignore. If left unaddressed, they could soon affect water users in nearly every region of the state.

To raise awareness of these issues, the Association of California Water Agencies has launched a program called California’s Water: A Crisis We Can’t Ignore. Please visit www.calwatercrisis.org to learn more.

Timothy Quinn

Executive Director

Association of California Water Agencies