Mohammed Hasan Discusses California Drought
Posted by Sandy Warren
on Dec 29, 2015
"Drought is Not a Four-Letter Word"
Mohammed Hasan Explains to Club
"There are solutions to California's severe drought, but they will require innovation and political cooperation to implement," said Mohammed Hasan during his address to the members of Ventura Rotary South on Monday, December 28. The owner of Hasan Consultants, a local engineering consulting firm specializing in water-related projects, Mohammed noted that Californians cannot wait until the drought becomes a real crisis, "the day we ration water or turn on the tap and nothing comes out."
Rather than making a formal presentation, Mohammed invited members of the audience to participate in an extended question-and-answer session. Among the ideas that he brought out in his answers were the following:
- Replenishment of the Salton Sea with local groundwater, followed by treatment and distribution through new infrastructure;
- Importation and treatment of water from the Gulf of California;
- Increasing use of recycled water
All of these solutions, particularly the desalination options, will require significant funding, Mohammed noted, and there are political hurdles to overcome. A Club member noted that major infrastructure development projects are challenging because politicians who support increased water rates or taxes on the front end to pay for the projects frequently are not in office to receive the credit when the facilities come on line years down the road.
Mohammed, however, remains positive about the potential for long-term solutions to the drought. "California is the innovation capital of the United States," he said, "and now more than ever we need to innovate." His book, "Drought is Not a Four-Letter Word," is available on Amazon.com.