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The role of science in resolution of environmental crises at Kesterson Reservoir and Mono Lake, California
Author(s) -
Quinn Nigel W. T.,
Vorster Peter T.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
lakes and reservoirs: research and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.296
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1440-1770
pISSN - 1320-5331
DOI - 10.1046/j.1440-1770.1998.00072.x
Subject(s) - water quality , agriculture , obligation , water resource management , environmental resource management , environmental planning , political science , environmental ethics , environmental science , law , geography , ecology , archaeology , biology , philosophy
Two events in California’s recent history have had a profound impact in shaping present and future water resources policy: the selenium contamination at Kesterson Reservoir and the battle to save Mono Lake. The irrigation‐induced selenium toxicity discovered at Kesterson changed public perception of agriculture as a benign consumer of water, eroded the political power of the agricultural lobby, and has contributed to a revision in the allocation of water between the cities, agriculture and the environment. The Mono Lake Decisions of 1983 and 1994 set an equally important precedent in affirming the State’s public trust obligation to preserve public resources and to reconsider previous water right allocations in the light of evolving knowledge and changing priorities. Both of these issues were important precursors for the current multibillion dollar State and Federal (CALFED) initiative to ‘fix’ the myriad of biologic, hydrologic and water quality problems of the San Francisco Bay estuary. In this paper, we compare the Kesterson and Mono Lake controversies and discuss the role of science and research in attempting to resolve these issues. We conclude by drawing linkages to the current CALFED initiative and suggesting implications for future water quality management in California’s lakes and reservoirs.