Preserving Ojai’s Water
We are facing a major water crisis in Southern California
The State Water Project is responsible for bringing drinking water to 25 million people and provides irrigation for 750,000 acres of farmland, most of which is delivered to Southern California from sources more than 400 miles away. This vital and strategic piece of California freshwater infrastructure could be subject to shutdown anywhere from 6 month to two years if struck by an earthquake of magnitude 7.5 or greater. The Los Angeles Aqueduct, the Colorado Aqueduct, and the California Aqueduct all cross the San Andreas fault which is overdue for "the big one".
While Ojai not currently connected to the State Water Project, we should not rely on connection as a long term water solution. Natural disasters, politics, and aging infrastructure can all impeded our ability to access water from Northern California. We have the ability to create a sustainable water plan in Ojai through modernizing our approaches on reclamation, smart water use, and groundwater management.
The neighboring town around us see the holes of the State Water Project, and have been working on securing Ojai Valleys water. This includes a recent lawsuit The City of Ventura’s Lawsuit filed against all agencies and individuals who have water wells in use; including all of the Water Districts in the Ojai Valley. This lawsuit says that these individuals have violated; Public Trust, Pueblo / Treaty Water Rights (One of the oldest and prioritized water right), Declaratory Relief (Judicial Intervention before irreparable damage occurs), Prescriptive Water Rights (Squatter Rights), Appropriative Water Rights (They are just going to take it), Adjudication (Judicial Oversight), Municipal Priority (Because they have more people and mange their water they own it), Human Rights To Water.
We need to be active stewards and voices for Ojai Valley's Water
How To Fix This: Science, Marketing, and Protest
Marketing: The decentralization of information has allowed for misinformation and confusion about our water resources to persist. We will use smart and modern marketing to both inform the public about their water while simultaneously making the voice of Ojai heard. Good marketing takes time and money and we need a smart marketing firm to manage the public interests of Ojai Valley. Water in Ojai can be sustainable, but not if outside agencies become the controller of our future.
Science: We can support our water management officials, by supporting scientific studies that help us answer important water questions for Ojai Valley.
Protest: Together as a community we will protect our water resources with our voices. If we remain quiet and complacent we can lose it all. We can and will make our voices heard.
Call To Action:
We are facing a major water crisis in Southern California
The State Water Project is responsible for bringing drinking water to 25 million people and provides irrigation for 750,000 acres of farmland, most of which is delivered to Southern California from sources more than 400 miles away. This vital and strategic piece of California freshwater infrastructure could be subject to shutdown anywhere from 6 month to two years if struck by an earthquake of magnitude 7.5 or greater. The Los Angeles Aqueduct, the Colorado Aqueduct, and the California Aqueduct all cross the San Andreas fault which is overdue for "the big one".
While Ojai not currently connected to the State Water Project, we should not rely on connection as a long term water solution. Natural disasters, politics, and aging infrastructure can all impeded our ability to access water from Northern California. We have the ability to create a sustainable water plan in Ojai through modernizing our approaches on reclamation, smart water use, and groundwater management.
The neighboring town around us see the holes of the State Water Project, and have been working on securing Ojai Valleys water. This includes a recent lawsuit The City of Ventura’s Lawsuit filed against all agencies and individuals who have water wells in use; including all of the Water Districts in the Ojai Valley. This lawsuit says that these individuals have violated; Public Trust, Pueblo / Treaty Water Rights (One of the oldest and prioritized water right), Declaratory Relief (Judicial Intervention before irreparable damage occurs), Prescriptive Water Rights (Squatter Rights), Appropriative Water Rights (They are just going to take it), Adjudication (Judicial Oversight), Municipal Priority (Because they have more people and mange their water they own it), Human Rights To Water.
We need to be active stewards and voices for Ojai Valley's Water
How To Fix This: Science, Marketing, and Protest
Marketing: The decentralization of information has allowed for misinformation and confusion about our water resources to persist. We will use smart and modern marketing to both inform the public about their water while simultaneously making the voice of Ojai heard. Good marketing takes time and money and we need a smart marketing firm to manage the public interests of Ojai Valley. Water in Ojai can be sustainable, but not if outside agencies become the controller of our future.
Science: We can support our water management officials, by supporting scientific studies that help us answer important water questions for Ojai Valley.
- What are all of the sources and outlets of groundwater in the Ojai Valley?
- There are 8 major aquifers and several small aquifers, and many water bearing faults in the Ojai Valley
- There are at least two groundwater outlets that release aprox 6.7 Billion gallons per year into the ocean.
- What Aquifers Run Into the San Antonio Creek Aquifer?
- Our initial survey shows that only 2 of at least 8 aquifers in the Ojai Valley run into the Sant Antonio Creek aquifers
- What is the real safe yield of Groundwater in Ojai Valley?
- The OBGMA reports that 15,777 AF recharged to the basin in 2017.
- The current safe yield defined by the OBGMA is 5,000 AFY.
- The current monitoring that determines safe yield by the OBGMA needs to be re-evaluated based on newer sedimentation studies.
- How does groundwater in Ojai affect the lower Ventura River?
- There are significant clay caps throughout the lower Ojai Valley. Determining depth and placement of theses is an important key to water management.
Protest: Together as a community we will protect our water resources with our voices. If we remain quiet and complacent we can lose it all. We can and will make our voices heard.
Call To Action:
- Donate to Ojai Island Foundation to work on securing our water in Ojai!
- Become part of the team!
- Contact us: Contact@OjaiIslandFoundation.com
- Follow our Facebook Ojai Island Foundation