California Governor Gavin Newsom has unveiled a new plan to enable the state to secure its water supply in the face of a hotter, drier climate. The strategy is in response to a prediction that California’s existing water supply could diminish by up to 10% by 2040, the equivalent of losing more than the full volume of the state’s largest reservoir, Shasta Lake.

The strategy, contained in a 16-page document, includes four pillars. New storage space for up to 4 million acre-feet of water will be created, allowing the state to collect water during storms to store and use during drier periods. The state will also aim to recycle and reuse at least 800,000 acre-feet of water per year by 2030, water that is currently discharged to the ocean.

Meanwhile, 500,000 acre-feet of water will be unlocked by permanently eliminating water waste and using water more efficiently, while new water will also be made available by capturing stormwater, as well as desalinating ocean water and salty water in groundwater basins.

"To match the pace of climate change, California must move smarter and faster to update our water systems," the strategy states. "The modernization of our water systems will help replenish the water California will lose due to hotter, drier weather, and generate enough water for more than 8.4 million households."

The strategy’s focus on urban water use and retention has drawn criticism from some researchers and environmental advocates, reports the Los Angeles Times. Natural Resources Defence Council senior director Kate Poole told the paper that while action in urban areas is welcomed, agricultural use is largely ignored despite using 80% of California’s developed water supply.

Among the infrastructural projects to proceed under the strategy are a controversial giant water tunnel beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and the Sites Reservoir north of Sacramento. The plan will also include an effort to source locations for seawater desalination plants.

The strategy’s unveiling comes months after a consortium announced plans to construct a network of solar panels over a segment of California’s canal system. In addition to increasing the state’s energy supply network, the plan is also designed to prevent water evaporation from the canals using the shelter caused by the panels overhead.

Other significant legislative action taken in California recently include new building codes to allow for high-rise mass timber buildings, a climate action plan calling for all-electric new homes by 2026, and a plan in Los Angeles to make all new buildings in the city zero-carbon.