(NVR) - A few weeks ago, the American Canyon Eagle ran an editorial contrasting the city’s challenges obtaining a reliable water source for our community with the demand for new development. The editorial focused on the proposed Watson Ranch development; however, there are other proposed projects that would serve as suitable examples. I would like to provide some additional food for thought on the issue of water supply.

The city purchases nearly 100 percent of its water from the State of California by siphoning raw water from a slough northeast of Travis Air Force Base. The raw water is transported through pipes to the city’s water plant on Jameson Canyon Road where it is purified before being delivered to homes and businesses. When the state’s water system runs low, as it is now during this drought, the state simply does not sell us much, if any, of this water. The city has to go shopping for water from other sellers, typically at a higher price because it’s a seller’s market. The city does not have reservoirs or lakes in which to store water to meet demand during very dry years.

So, what can we do to improve our long-term water supply? Constructing new reservoirs is very expensive and environmentally difficult. Perhaps the city could acquire access to an existing reservoir that is not used? Few exist, and those that do carry large price tags. Drilling wells might be a possibility, but groundwater wells also raise environmental questions and are not typically favored for urban purposes in Napa County.

We continue to study these options. However, by far, our best option is simply to reduce our consumption of potable water. This can be done in two ways: turning down the spigot to use less water and substituting the use of recycled water whenever possible. Several months ago we asked everyone to voluntarily conserve 20 percent, and we are very grateful you have responded to the call. Water consumption in April was down 25 percent from last year, and overall we are down 10 percent for the year. Please keep up the efforts even during the heat of the summer – it really does make a difference.