Register--SATURDAY JAN. 31,1998

By DOUG WILLIS

The Associated Press

SACRAMENTO - California's population growth will create "a serious statewide water shortage early in the next century," an updated draft edition of the state's official water plan con-

cludes.

The two-volume, 806-page re-port, released Friday, lists hundreds of projects that could be built to help alleviate the projected shortage, but makes no recommendation either way on any

of them.

In a briefing for news reporters, state Resources Secretary Doug Wheeler said California has made "substantial progress" in recent years in alleviating potential water shortages, particularly in water conservation and in adding off-stream storage reservoirs.

But, Wheeler said, the projected shortage persists because of estimates of a 50 percent in-crease in the state's population by the year 2020.

"We believe it is absolutely essential that California take action now," Wheeler said, adding the plan that emerges from the study will undoubtedly be a combination of many things.

Responding to questions, Kennedy said that raising Shasta Dam, which is the biggest among the hundreds of projects listed in the report, "might be one of the most economical ways ... from an engineering standpoint" of increasing the state's water supply, but that there were environmental concerns.

"We are not proposing that this project be pursued. We are putting it out as an option," Kennedy said of enlarging Shasta.

He gave similar replies to questions about two other controversial proposals, saying that the

Auburn Dam "is one of the options that might be available at a future date" and that the Peripheral Canal is neither endorsed nor ruled out by the report.

Kennedy did say that drawing. more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta during high-flow periods is essential to increase future supplies, but that the new report "doesn't assume any particular solution in the delta."

"Water is the life blood of California agriculture. We need more supply," added state Food and Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman

The updated water plan said the projected population growth to 47.S million Californians by 2020 will reduce the state's agricultural land, and therefore reduce agriculture's water needs from the current 33.8 million acre-feet annually to 31.5 million acre-feet. .