A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment
July 17, 2007
1. Top Items
Schwarzenegger says plan for new dams could go on February ballot - Associated Press
In a dry time, plans for water projects flow; Schwarzenegger and the state Senate leader propose competing bond measures - Los Angeles Times
Perata pushes $5 billion water bond; Senate Democratic plan would let local agencies decide on projects such as dams -
State senator unveils rival water plan; UNLIKE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSAL, CONTROL WOULD BE REGIONAL - San Jose Mercury News
Newest water plan offers sip for Valley dam; Locals would decide how to use funds - Fresno Bee
Water Plan Surfaces; Storage, delivery key to $5.9B proposal -
Delta canal plans flowing smoothly; Lawmakers throw support for governor's water bond - Stockton Record
California water projects seen sparking conflict – Reuters
Schwarzenegger to campaign for new dams and canals - North County Times
ACWA President Calls for Action on Water; Fiorini Appears with Governor to Urge Approval of Comprehensive Plan - News Release, Association of California Water Agencies
Schwarzenegger says plan for new dams could go on February ballot
Associated Press – 7/16/07
By Samantha Young, staff writer
His statement, made during a news conference at a shrinking federal reservoir, shows the governor wants to accelerate the timeframe to devise a far-reaching water plan. It also sets the stage for a summer of negotiations with the Democrat-controlled Legislature.
If the sides can reach a deal, Schwarzenegger said a bond measure could be added to the ballot for the Feb. 5 presidential primary. That election is likely to include several other initiatives, including modifying lawmakers' term limits and changing the way legislative districts are drawn.
"I think we are going to negotiate this year," Schwarzenegger said as he stood beside the San Luis Reservoir in Merced County, which supplies water for the state and federal water projects in California but is just 25 percent full.
"Let us go now and build more above-the-ground water storage, below-the-ground water storage. Let's fix the delta once and for all, and build more conveyance and restore and take care of the environment," he said.
Schwarzenegger has said the state must plan now to expand a water system that was designed decades ago for a much smaller population.
In January, he proposed a $5.9 billion water bond for the November 2008 ballot. The projects were meant to help weather future droughts, restore the delta's fragile ecosystem and help the state adapt to the rising sea levels that are projected with climate change.
Democrats rejected the governor's proposal this spring. They said the two most likely new dams — the proposed Sites Reservoir in a valley north of Sacramento and the Temperance Flat Reservoir in the Sierra foothills above Fresno — lacked complete environmental studies and commitments from local water users to help pay for them.
Lawmakers also refused to include money for dams the last time the Legislature approved a series of public works bonds in 2006.
Last month, Schwarzenegger added a new dynamic to his bond proposal, endorsing a canal that would pipe water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to
Department of Water Resources Director Lester Snow said Schwarzenegger hopes to strike a compromise deal with lawmakers before the Legislature adjourns Sept. 14. The governor's plan includes $4.5 billion for two reservoirs, $1 billion for a canal and $450 million for water conservation efforts.
Placing such a bond on the presidential primary ballot could be a tough sell with Democratic voters, who are expected to turn out in large numbers Feb. 5. While Democrats tend to favor more government spending, they may be less excited by proposals to build dams, said Bruce Cain, director of the
"... When it comes to water bonds and dams and anything like a peripheral canal, the normal logic goes out the window," he said.
But support from Democratic lawmakers and the endorsement of environmental groups could sway voters on a water bond, Cain said.
There was a glimmer of that hope on Monday after Schwarzenegger made his announcement at the reservoir. State Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, said he had reversed his long-standing opposition to spending bond money for dam projects.
"We're running out of water. We have more use than we have the ability to store," Perata told reporters in the Capitol.
His spokeswoman, Alicia Trost, said the senator's proposal was an attempt to strike a bipartisan compromise. Republicans favor building new dams.
Perata is promoting a plan that is slightly different from Schwarzenegger's. He wants a $5 billion general obligation bond that would be available for local agencies, which could apply for matching grants to build dams, expand underground storage or initiate other regional water projects.
"I don't think there's any dispute over the need, but how we approach it seems to be in dispute," Perata told reporters in the Capitol.
Several factors have conspired to give new urgency to the debate over
State and federal courts ruled this spring that water pumping operations in the delta are killing fish, forcing temporary shutdowns that cut the flow of water to cities, farms and reservoirs. Meanwhile, a dry winter has prompted a growing number of communities to implement conservation measures and forced mandatory rationing in
Last week, state demographers released projections showing
"There's nothing like the current state of affairs to grab the public's attention," said Ron Jacobsma, general manager of the Friant Water Users Authority, which supports a Temperance Flat dam. "Hopefully, the governor will get the public's support for badly needed investment in water infrastructure." #
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/07/16/state/n173347D71.DTL&hw=water&sn=001&sc=1000
In a dry time, plans for water projects flow; Schwarzenegger and the state Senate leader propose competing bond measures
By Nancy Vogel, staff writer
SACRAMENTO — Acknowledging the specter of drought, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appealed Monday for a $6-billion investment in water works, while the Democratic leader of the state Senate called for a $5-billion water bond measure on next year's ballot.
The maneuverings by the two politicians virtually ensure that voters will be asked next year to approve billions of dollars in spending for water projects — including, perhaps, two new dams and a canal to siphon the
Cutbacks are inevitable next year if rain and snow don't fall abundantly this winter, and the dueling announcements by Schwarzenegger and Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland) kick off what are expected to be several months of wrangling to shape ballot proposals.
The call for more spending comes as lawmakers and bureaucrats weigh how to spend $10 billion from previous water bonds.
Standing before a wind-swept, largely depleted
"We must get our act together now," he said. "We have to build."
The governor touted his $6-billion plan to build two reservoirs and boost groundwater storage, rework the plumbing of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, restore rivers and bolster conservation.
Schwarzenegger said his administration "loves conservation." He called it something that "we always have to do," and added that he limits his children to five-minute showers. But conservation alone, he said, will not stretch the state's water supplies enough to match the growth that is expected to add 24 million Californians in the next four decades.
Though local water districts have recently built their own dams, the state and federal governments have not significantly expanded their projects in decades. In the meantime, government protection of endangered delta fish and other environmental concerns have crimped deliveries from those major water projects.
Water in arid
Schwarzenegger spoke at the San Luis Reservoir near Los Banos, the hub of those federal and state projects. The sun-baked reservoir stores water pumped from the delta for delivery to hundreds of thousands of acres of cropland and 25 million people.
The reservoir now holds only a third of its average storage for July, because of a dry winter and the nine-day shutdown of the delta pumps in May to protect endangered fish.
As Schwarzenegger spoke, Perata released his plan for a $5-billion bond measure that would give money to regions in the state to solve their own problems. He criticized the governor's proposal as a "top-down solution to a bottom-up problem."
Unlike Schwarzenegger's bond plan, Perata's proposal would not dictate new dams, instead allowing regions to determine the best way to boost supplies. He said his plan would deliver cheaper, quicker fixes "rather than reliving the water wars of the past over false choices like dams and canals."
Schwarzenegger's proposal would invest $2.5 billion of taxpayer money in two reservoirs and require those who use the additional water to pay an additional $2 billion.
Schwarzenegger has called for construction of a dam and reservoir 77 miles northwest of
Barry Nelson, a senior policy analyst with the Natural Resources Defense Council, said farmers could never afford to pay for the dams, and urban water agencies, which have a much greater ability to raise revenue, have cheaper ways to stretch supplies.
"Nobody is interested in paying for these facilities, and it strikes us as really inappropriate to ask the taxpayers to pay for facilities that have not proven themselves," Nelson said.
Randy McFarland, spokesman for the Friant Water Authority, which represents 15,000 farmers, said another dam on the
But the group hasn't examined sharing the cost of building the dam, he said.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which serves 18 million people from
What MWD most needs, he said, is a more reliable supply of water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
"Our priority has been to focus on the delta," he said.
Under their water proposals, Schwarzenegger and Perata would put $1 billion into what they call delta "conveyance," a catch-all term for various proposals to move water more efficiently and with less harm through the delta.
A maze of channels and reclaimed islands between
But the pumps that divert water before it can flow to the Pacific Ocean are vulnerable to regulatory shutdown to protect endangered salmon and smelt, and the earthen levees that channel water are threatened by earthquakes, floods and rising sea levels.
Environmentalists helped defeat a 43-mile "peripheral" canal proposal in 1982, saying that it would allow
Since then, many scientists and some environmentalists have argued that a canal actually might help fish by isolating them from the powerful effects of the pumps.
Still, any discussion of a delta fix faces close scrutiny by myriad antagonistic interests.
Last year, Schwarzenegger named a blue-ribbon panel to study the best way to protect the delta as a water source and wildlife corridor. The panel's recommendations are due in November. Schwarzenegger has espoused a peripheral canal in recent speeches. But his proposed bond measure, like Perata's, would incorporate whatever recommendation comes from the blue-ribbon panel.
In touting his plan, Schwarzenegger said
"I was sent to
But some observers say that whether the governor and Legislature succeed in negotiating a bond measure for next year's ballot may depend on a higher power: next winter's precipitation.
"As a general rule in
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-water17jul17,0,4627889,full.story?coll=la-home-local
Perata pushes $5 billion water bond; Senate Democratic plan would let local agencies decide on projects such as dams
By Kevin Yamamura, staff writer
While Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger traveled to a parched
The Senate Democratic plan does not specify funds for dams, a major GOP priority, but would provide $2 billion in competitive grants that local water agencies could spend on new dams or alternatives such as groundwater storage.
The bond includes $1 billion for a new water management system that protects the Delta, which has sustained environmental damage and legal problems that make it unreliable as a water source for 25 million residents.
The management system could be a canal that moves water around the Delta, an idea that has been controversial since voters rejected a similar "peripheral canal" in 1982.
Schwarzenegger has expressed his support for a canal in recent weeks.
Perata's bond, which would appear on the ballot in 2008, also includes $2 billion for restoration of the Delta ecosystem and rivers around the state.
The Republican governor appeared Monday at San Luis Reservoir in Gustine to pressure the Legislature into placing a water bond on next year's ballot. His initial plan, which stalled in the Senate in April, focused heavily on two new dams near Colusa and
Perata criticized that proposal as too prescriptive.
"It appears to be another top-down solution to a bottom-up problem," Perata said. "I don't think there's any dispute over the need. But how we approach it seems to be in dispute right now."
Schwarzenegger called Monday for aboveground water storage, referring to the state's system as being "built for 20 million people, but in the meantime we are 37 million people." He said he would await findings of a Delta Vision commission later this year, but he does not want lawmakers to ask for multiyear studies on new projects.
Schwarzenegger press secretary Aaron McLear called Perata's plan a "step in the right direction." Sen. Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, who carried the governor's water plan earlier this year, also welcomed Perata's proposal. But he criticized Perata's regional water approach as "not feasible."
"... There are regions of the state that have water and regions that do not," Cogdill said in a statement. "The state must act as the adult responsible for coordinating water movement in the state both to protect area of origin water rights and to ensure that the regions not fortunate enough to receive adequate rainfall will have enough water for their people as well."
In a letter sent Monday to Schwarzenegger, the Senate leader also asked the governor to support legislation that spends $918 million in existing bond funds for projects such as groundwater cleanup and restoring habitat for the threatened Delta smelt.
The proposal, Senate Bill 1002, is in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. It has moved through the Legislature with support only from Democrats. Schwarzenegger has not taken a position on the bill.
Tim Quinn, Association of California Water Agencies executive director, called Perata's plan "encouraging," particularly the possibility that his bond will include money for a Delta management system. Quinn's group supported Schwarzenegger's plan earlier this year.
"It seems quite clear that Perata is agreeing that something on conveyance needs be done and done soon," Quinn said.
Anthony Saracino of the Nature Conservancy said his group supports Perata's bond proposal. The environmental group is neutral on water storage but backs Perata's approach of allowing local agencies to determine water projects. #
http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/276469.html
State senator unveils rival water plan; UNLIKE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSAL, CONTROL WOULD BE REGIONAL
By Mike Taugher
GUSTINE - As Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger launched a weeklong campaign Monday for a $6 billion investment in
But the proposal from Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata came with a twist.
While Schwarzenegger is calling on Californians to invest billions in a pair of major reservoirs, Perata would make money available for regional grants that could be used for dams, underground storage, groundwater cleanup or other purposes.
Such an approach would likely favor smaller projects and kill the big dams along the
"Regarding new water supply, we believe that the state bureaucracy has a poor track record making water supply and reliability decisions from
The governor called Perata's proposal a step in the right direction. But Sen. Dave Cogdill, a Fresno Republican who supports the governor's plan, called the regional approach "not feasible."
The governor spoke Monday at San Luis Reservoir, an important link in the state's water supply that has been drained to 25 percent of capacity because of dry weather and an environmental crisis in the Delta that forced state pumps to shut down for nine days.
"If we have another dry season like this it will be a catastrophe. I say it will be a disaster," Schwarzenegger said.
"We don't have enough water," the governor added. "We have put so much pressure on the Delta we have broken the system."
The governor said the state's water infrastructure, which was mostly built between the 1940s and 1970s, was built for a state of 20 million but is now expected to have 60 million people by 2050.
Schwarzenegger is promoting a $5.9 billion package. Of that amount, $4.5 billion would be for reservoirs and underground water storage.
The governor has also proposed $1 billion for new conveyance that would most likely send Sacramento River water around the Delta to pumps near
The idea, commonly referred to as a peripheral canal, was defeated by voters in a bitter 1982 referendum. Environmentalists, Delta anglers and residents, and the Contra Costa Water District are normally the most severe critics of such a plan because it has the potential to deprive the Delta of fresh water.
Perata's plan also contains $1 billion for conveyance, which could make both proposals politically problematic, said one leading Democrat.
"That's my only concern (with Perata's proposal). It looks more like a down payment on a
http://www.mercurynews.com/localnewsheadlines/ci_6393609
Newest water plan offers sip for Valley dam; Locals would decide how to use funds
By E.J. Schultz, staff writer
In contrast to a plan by Gov. Schwarzenegger, the Democratic proposal does not earmark money for dams. Rather, it would let local water agencies bid to share in $2 billion for water-supply projects and then use the money as they see fit -- for dams, ground-water storage or water recycling, for instance.
"While water is a common value, how we provide it and store it is really dependent on the regions," said Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland.
"Let the locals decide."
The proposal represents a shift for Democrats, who have long opposed new dams. But dam supporters still are skeptical. Among other concerns, there would be too little cash for what would be a very expensive project.
"It just seems to be way too cumbersome and inadequate for meeting the need that we know is going to be there," said Sen. Dave Cogdill, R- Modesto.
Cogdill carried a version of Schwarzenegger's $5.9 billion water plan that Democrats killed earlier this year.
Perata's plan calls for a $5 billion bond on the 2008 ballot. If approved, $2 billion would go to repair the deteriorating Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, $1 billion to improve rivers and water quality and $2 billion to boost water supplies.
The water-supply money would be doled out to regions based on a formula. Users within each region would then bid for a piece of the regional share.
If previous allocations are an indication, the Valley could expect to get about $120 million for the
The governor's plan pushed by Cogdill would have put a $3.95 billion water bond on the 2008 ballot, including $2 billion for two dams: Temperance Flat and one proposed for the west side of the
Last month, Schwarzenegger added a new element to his bond proposal, endorsing $1 billion for a canal that would pipe water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to
The Temperance Flat dam is estimated to cost about $2 billion and take years to build. Both the governor's and Perata's plans call for local users to help pay for water projects.
Perata, in an interview, criticized Schwarzenegger's plan as a "top-down" approach that shortchanges regions that would not directly benefit from the dams. He specifically criticized Temperance Flat as only benefiting east Valley farmers.
Backers of the dam say the entire state would benefit. For instance, the reservoir could free up more storage for water that could be sent as far south as
With lawmakers preoccupied by negotiating over the state's budget, the debate over water storage is not expected to intensify until August and September.
Schwarzenegger got a jump on the deliberations Monday, appearing at the depleted San Luis Reservoir to pump up his plan.
"There's no better place in
Schwarzenegger said the reservoir was filled to just 25% of capacity as a result of the state's dry winter and continuing persistent droughtlike conditions, as well as last month's decision to shut down delta water pumping stations for nine days in order to protect the vital waterway's fragile delta smelt fish population.
"Another dry season like this one would be catastrophic; a disaster," the governor said. "We need a modern, comprehensive approach to addressing our growing water needs."
But Perata said the Schwarzenegger administration has failed to spend money that already has been approved. He said some $10 billion from previous water bonds remains unspent.
"Before I run around and I tell people we need more, I want to account for the money we've already approved -- and we haven't done that yet," Perata said.
About half of the money was approved by voters less than a year ago, but $5 billion remains from bonds that date back several years, according to Perata's office.
Mark Cowin, a deputy director at the state Department of Water Resources, did not confirm how much remains unspent. But he said the state purposely holds back some money so it can be doled out gradually as local agencies submit bids for projects.
"It's not an indication that we're not succeeding if we haven't spent all the money," he said. #
http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/87629.html
Water Plan Surfaces; Storage, delivery key to $5.9B proposal
By Michael G. Mooney, staff writer and E.J. Schultz, Fresno Bee
SANTA NELLA — With a depleted San Luis Reservoir at his back, Gov. Schwarzenegger touted his $5.9 billion water bond plan Monday, saying
"There's no better place in
In
In contrast to Schwarzenegger's proposal, the Democratic plan does not earmark money for dams. Rather, local water agencies would bid for a share of $2 billion for water supply projects and could use it as they see fit — for dams, groundwater storage or water recycling, for instance.
"While water is a common value, how we provide it and store it is really dependent on the regions," said Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland. "Let the locals decide."
The proposal represents a shift for Democrats, who long have ruled out dams as a solution to the state's growing water needs. But dam supporters still are skeptical.
"It just seems to be way too cumbersome and inadequate for meeting the need that we know is going to be there," said Sen. Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto.
Cogdill carried a version of Schwarzenegger's water plan that Democrats killed earlier this year.
Schwarzenegger's comments Monday came at a midmorning news conference at the
"Another dry season like this one," Schwarzenegger said, "would be catastrophic; a disaster."
Schwarzenegger said San Luis was holding just 25 percent of its 2 million-plus acre-foot capacity.
Later, a spokesman for the state Department of Water Resources, which operates the federally constructed reservoir, said capacity was at 21 percent, or about 424,000 acre-feet of water.
"That's very low," the spokesman said, "even for this time of year."
The reservoir normally is drawn down during summer months to provide irrigation for thousands of acres of farmland, as well as 25 million Californians.
This year's drawdown is more problematic, however, because of the dry winter and drought-like conditions the state is experiencing.
Last month's nine-day shutdown of delta water pumping stations near
Without the pumps pushing water through the California Aqueduct, there was less available to divert into the reservoir, a vital cog in the state's complex water storage and conveyance system.
But that system, Schwarzenegger said Monday, is under increasing stress.
Already this year, Schwarzenegger said, many water districts have called for voluntary conservation measures — asking customers to cut their water use by as much as 10 percent.
Additionally, water districts in
"We need a modern, comprehensive approach to addressing our growing water needs," Schwarzenegger said, "including more storage, new conveyance and better conservation."
Schwarzenegger said his water plan, unveiled in January, would enable the state to meet the demands of its growing population, while maintaining the state's $32 billion a year agriculture industry.
The governor's plan would provide:
About $4.5 billion to develop new surface and underground water storage
An additional $1 billion to rebuild aging delta levees and new delivery systems such as a new peripheral canal project. A similar plan was roundly defeated by voters in 1982 and is likely to prove contentious if it is part of a future ballot initiative.
About $450 million for several projects, including restoration and new conservation programs
"We haven't built a single major reservoir in the last 25 years," Schwarzenegger said, "even as our population has boomed."
Perata's plan calls for a $5 billion bond on the 2008 ballot. If approved, $2 billion would go for upgrades for the delta, $1 billion to improve rivers and water quality and $2 billion to boost water supplies.
A spokeswoman said the measure would dovetail with legislation already sponsored by Perata, SB 1002, which would use money from recently approved state bonds to protect the delta and boost groundwater supplies.
"Rather than reliving the water wars of the past over false choices like dams and canals," Perata said in a statement issued Monday, "I have advocated since January for a new water policy that delivers the least expensive, quickest and most flexible solutions to water supply."
There was no mention of Pe-rata's plan, which Perata outlined in a letter to Schwarzenegger, during the governor's news conference Monday.
Bob Balgenorth, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of California, said Schwarzenegger's aggressive water plans, including the construction of two dams, would provide thousands of new jobs — jobs that especially are needed in the Central Valley.
Randy Fiorini, president of the Association of California Water Agencies, also endorsed Schwarzenegger's plans.
"Looking at the San Luis Reservoir and seeing it so low today is troubling," Fiorini said. "We need swift action now." #
http://www.modbee.com/local/story/13796851p-14375481c.html
Delta canal plans flowing smoothly; Lawmakers throw support for governor's water bond
By Hank Shaw, staff writer
Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata's action comes as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger begins a week of water-related events to highlight the need for more water storage. Schwarzenegger was in Los Banos on Monday at the San Luis Reservoir, which is down to 25 percent of capacity.
Schwarzenegger will hold another event today, on
Perata's proposal represents the state Senate's response to Schwarzenegger's call for more dams, a canal and increased groundwater storage.
Voters just approved billions in bonds for water quality and flood control, but the governor, legislative Republicans and Perata, D-Oakland, want to ask voters again in 2008 to approve billions more for storage.
Included in these plans is money that could be used to build a canal to ship water from the Sacramento River around the edge of the Delta to the giant pumps near
Perata's proposal would set aside $1billion to turn the recommendations of the governor's task force analyzing a recent Public Policy Institute of California study on the Delta into reality. A possible recommendation would be a new canal.
Perata's bond also would include $1billion for ecological restoration in the estuary and another $1billion to help solve water-rights conflicts on rivers such as the
Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear called the proposal a good start.
"Senator Perata's support for a wide-ranging, sustainable solution is an important step in the right direction," McLear said. "Our state's critical water infrastructure has been ignored for too long, and we must get serious about fixing it."
Sen. Dave Cogdill, a Modesto Republican who represents part of
"(The Democrats) moved from the position they had in January, but I don't think this approach gets us there," Cogdill said. "It's a new box of Band-Aids."
Cogdill is the sponsor of Schwarzenegger's bond proposal, which would dedicate $4.5billion for storage projects - more than double the amount in Perata's proposal. It would focus that cash on large new dams on the
Perata's proposal includes $2 billion, to be spread throughout the state, for water-supply projects. Sen. Michael Machado, D-Linden, said the Perata proposal, which he helped create, envisions the $2billion for smaller dams primarily funded by local money. The Duck Creek Reservoir project in eastern
"This is capitalizing on programs that have been successful elsewhere," Machado said, noting that the dams at
"This money will act as seed money for local efforts."
Cogdill said that concept is sound, but the money might be split so many ways that nothing gets done. He said that if he can't persuade the Legislature to put a beefier bond on the ballot, his next step might be to organize an initiative campaign.
Perata's spokeswoman, Alicia Trost, said Perata had not yet decided which of 2008's three elections he might target. #
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070717/A_NEWS/707170307
Reuters – 7/16/07
By Jim Christie, staff writer
State Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, who has offered rival legislation, told reporters the need in California for more water is obvious, but the way to store, deliver and pay for it is not.
"I don't think there is any dispute over the need, but how to approach it seems to be in dispute," he said.
Schwarzenegger's aides risk scraping a particularly raw political nerve over water issues in the state capital of Sacramento by reviving the idea of redirecting some water feeding into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to points inland and south through a "conveyance."
Critics say that is code for a canal like the proposed
Lester Snow, chief of
A fix for the "delta conveyance system" already providing water to much of
With Schwarzenegger cutting a high profile on global warming issues, his allies on water issues believe they have political momentum for advancing new investment in water infrastructure, which could include a canal and dams opposed by environmentalists.
"There is more political will now than there was in the early '80s," said state Sen. Dave Cogdill, the Central Valley Republican responsible for the $4 billion bond bill.
They also expect dry southern
"We don't have enough water now," Mayor Alan Autry of fast-growing
Autry echoed Schwarzenegger. The Republican governor routinely says
This year he has been keen to talk up water projects, including dams and reservoirs backed by agricultural interests in the
But Democrats who control the legislature say dams threaten rivers and a bill to allow voters to authorize additional debt for water infrastructure is unnecessary because the state has billions of dollars in untapped bond funds for water projects.
Perata has proposed using state bond funds instead to clean groundwater aquifers to provide drinking water from local sources. #
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1627810920070716?sp=true
Schwarzenegger to campaign for new dams and canals
Wire services
The director of the State Water Resources Department was given the microphone for this week's radio address by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to implore Californians to conserve water, and support new construction plans.
Lester Snow said the governor will call for construction of canals and levees in the
"His events will highlight exactly why we need storage to capture winter runoff, conveyance to protect the Delta, and conservation to ensure we use water wisely," Snow said as he filled in for the governor during Schwarzenegger's weekly radio address.
In a bitter election two decades ago, northern California residents overwhelmingly turned out to reject a proposed peripheral canal that would have taken fresh water from the Sacramento area around the delta to its southern end. Some of it would have been released into the southern delta for fish, but the rest pumped south to
"We must fix the Delta conveyence system and change the way we deliver water to protect our environment and our economy," Snow said.
The governor is also expected to call for state and federal funds to be used to improve existing levees that prevent salt water from Suisun and
Those levees protect delta cities like
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/07/15/news/sandiego/17_01_067_14_07.txt
ACWA President Calls for Action on Water; Fiorini Appears with Governor to Urge Approval of Comprehensive Plan
News Release, Association of California Water Agencies – 7/16/07
Contacts: Jennifer Persike, 916-441-4545 or 916-296-3981 (cell), Director of Strategic Coordination and Public Affairs; Andy Domek, 916-441-4545 or 916-595-2150 (cell), Communication Specialist
LOS BANOS,
With an extremely low San Luis Reservoir as a backdrop, Fiorini applauded the governor for his leadership on water issues and made the following statement about the need to invest in
“Seeing San Luis Reservoir so low today is a stark preview of what’s to come if we don’t invest now in our statewide water infrastructure. The water supply that fills this reservoir and keeps our cities and farms going is at risk.
“Two-thirds of our state relies on the Delta, and it is literally one big storm or one big earthquake away from a disaster that would disrupt water deliveries to 25 million Californians and some of our most productive farmland.
“There is too much at stake to let that happen. We need swift action on a comprehensive water plan that includes more water storage, improved Delta conveyance to meet our water needs while protecting water quality and the environment, and expanded water efficiency.
“
ACWA is a statewide association whose 460 members are responsible for about 90% of the water delivered in
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