Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment
April 11, 2007
1. Top Item
Senate panel OKs flood safety, water package; One bill is designed to balance urban needs with Delta ecosystem
Sacramento
By Judy Lin, staff writer
A number of flood safety and Delta management bills cleared initial legislative hurdles Tuesday as lawmakers sought to balance Mother Nature and humans' thirst for water.
The Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee on Tuesday passed a bill that sets a deadline for choosing the best way to transport water around the state.
Senate Bill 27 seeks to balance the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta's ecosystem with the needs of the state's growing population by directing the state Department of Water Resources to choose from five options for channeling drinking water to urban parts of the state by 2008.
Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, described the bill as providing necessary "adult supervision" after decades of fighting among various interests over how best to maintain the fresh water system.
"I'm hopeful that this time we're going to do what we say we're going to do," Kuehl said.
Water Resources Director Lester Snow said the bill replicates a task that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger assigned to a Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force. The task force is expected to present a water management program report to the governor by Jan. 1, 2008.
"Both are looking at the same kind of strategy on the same timeline," Snow said.
During the same committee hearing, senators from both sides of the aisle approved a state flood management bill by Sen. Mike Machado, D-Linden. Senate Bill 5 seeks to define responsibilities of state and local governments, builders, developers and homeowners for meeting flood preparedness standards.
Currently, the state is responsible for maintaining a system of levees, bypasses and weirs. It has been found liable in past lawsuits for flood damage.
Sen. Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, called it a logical move for the state to define duties for protecting homes and farmlands.
Two flood safety bills by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Davis, cleared the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee on party-line votes. Assembly Bill 5 would encourage local planners to adopt flood standards by giving them priority for state funding. Assembly Bill 1452 complements the earlier bill by setting funding priorities.
"Homes continue to be built in areas at high risk of flooding," Wolk said in a statement. "Lives and property continue to be put at risk, and every year we fail to act is another year that risk increases." ####
http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/152856.html
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