The California Climate Action Registry (CCAR) has named the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) a “Climate Action Leader.”

CCAR is a non-profit organization formed by the state of California to serve as a voluntary registry to encourage GHG emissions reductions.

CCAR member organizations earn the recognition by calculating, disclosing, and independently verifying greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

“The governor (Schwarzenegger) has made it clear that state agencies must lead by example in the battle against climate change,” said DWR Director Lester Snow.

Measuring and verifying DWR’s carbon footprint is a major first step in achieving significant reductions in carbon emissions, Snow says.

“DWR is absolutely committed to minimizing the carbon footprint of its operations and has an aggressive plan in place to meet greenhouse gas reduction goals,” Snow said.

DWR voluntarily measured its 2007 GHG emissions which totaled 3.24 million metric tons.

The majority of DWR’s GHG emissions come from the power to operate the State Water Project (SWP), which delivers water to 25 million Californians and irrigates 700,000 acres of agricultural land.

In a given year over half of the power used by the SWP to deliver water comes from zero-carbon hydroelectricity. DWR is taking aggressive actions to reduce its carbon footprint, including equipment and pumping refurbishments to increase efficiency, the inclusion of additional renewables into the power portfolio of the SWP, and other activities.