The Drought Isn’t Over, continued

In case you missed it, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a statewide water crisis on Friday, following three years of below-average rainfall. The Chron’s Kelly Zito says experts are telling her that this spring’s snow melt will only be about 57 percent of normal. Cities could face up to 20 percent cuts this summer. The governor made the right call — but his push to move toward desalinization is wrong-headed. Turning seawater into drinking water wastes huge amounts of energy and would degrade our marine ecosystems. What we need is more conservation — not more water.