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March 22 marks World Water Day — a global reminder that while we can live without a lot of things, water isn’t one of them. In the local government world, we often talk about the "big three" of infrastructure: streets, trash and water/sewer. But for me, water has always felt like the most critical. It is the ultimate utility that we only notice when it’s scarce.
I’ve spent a lot of time lately around "water people" — engineers, planners and operators who think in 50-year increments while the rest of the world struggles to plan for next Tuesday. There’s a quiet pragmatism in the water sector that I find refreshing. It isn’t about flashy headlines; it’s about making sure the mechanics work so the taps stay on and civilization remains hydrated.
Speaking of headlines, the governor recently rolled out the California Water Plan 2028, billed as the most ambitious in state history. In California, "ambitious" often comes with a healthy side of justified skepticism and a mountain of regulatory hurdles. Whether this vision translates into actual increased storage capacity remains to be seen, but the focus on recycling and infrastructure is a necessary acknowledgement of our reality. We can’t just hope for a "March Miracle" every year; we have to build sustainable systems.
Securing a resilient water future isn't only about big, state-level policy; it’s about the local agencies that turn that vision into reality at the tap. Indeed, most of the progress on water resilience happened because of local investments, not big State projects. Team Tripepi Smith enjoys being in the room where those conversations happen, helping translate complex engineering into community understanding. At the end of the day, when the toilets flush and the sprinklers run, it’s because someone did the hard work of planning for it decades ago.
Celebrate Your Water,
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