Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment
August 29, 2008
1. Top Item -
Assembly Democrats prevail on water bill: With three days left in the session, legislators also vote to ban dogs on drivers' laps and put warnings on 'alcopops.'
The Los Angeles
Assembly approves plan to invest in urgent water needs
The
Canal foes: Delta promises broken: Farmers, anglers say health of estuary neglected
The
Water bill divides county's reps: Malfa, Wolk disagree on climate change, effects of analyzing it
The
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Assembly Democrats prevail on water bill: With three days left in the session, legislators also vote to ban dogs on drivers' laps and put warnings on 'alcopops.'
The Los Angeles
By Nancy Vogel, Staff Writer
In a heated debate Thursday, Assembly Republicans and Democrats agreed that
But Republicans voted against spending $820 million from voter-approved water bonds because, they said, Democrats had not consulted them and too much of the money was dedicated to studies instead of construction.
"I'm studied out," said Assemblyman Joel Anderson (R-San Diego). "What my constituents want is brick and mortar."
But the dominant Democrats overrode Republicans' objections and passed a bill to spend $820 million from four water bonds.
The money would go toward preparing for an earthquake in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, from which most of the state's drinking and irrigation water is pumped; finding supplies for rural communities with contaminated aquifers; and projects around the state for conservation, recycling and groundwater cleanup.
"This is about putting to work money the voters want us to put to work," said Assemblywoman Lori Saldana (D-San Diego).
With three days remaining to approve or reject bills, the Legislature also acted to ban dogs in drivers' laps, improve patients' access to information on end-of-life care, adjust laws on abandoned newborns and put warning labels on fruity drinks called "alcopops."
The water measure, SB 1XX by Senate President Don Perata (D-Oakland), passed 43 to 25 and goes next to the Senate for approval of amendments.
Of the $18.5 billion
The measure to help terminally ill people received final passage in the Assembly on Thursday. It would require doctors and nurses to describe all legal end-of-life options for them, such as hospice care at home and the right to refuse treatment.
Republicans rejected the bill as a "slippery slope" that could encourage a sick person to seek death rather than burden family with their care.
"Life is precious and given by God," said Assemblyman Ted Gaines (R-Roseville), "so why are we looking for an opportunity to end life early?"
Democratic Assemblywoman Patty Berg of
The Assembly also passed bills that would ban people from driving with pets in their arms or on their laps starting next July and require makers of flavored alcoholic drinks -- often packaged to look like lemonade, cola or fruit drinks -- to put the uppercase phrase "Contains Alcohol" on each bottle.
The pet bill, AB 2233 by Assemblyman Bill Maze (R-Visalia), and the "alcopops" bill, AB 346 by Assemblyman Jim Beall Jr. (D-San Jose), have not been sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger because he has threatened to veto any non-budget bill sent to him before the Legislature approves a spending plan. The budget is 60 days overdue.
Meanwhile, in the state Senate, lawmakers approved a measure that would extend from 72 hours to seven days the period during which a newborn may be safely surrendered to a fire station or hospital with no prosecution for abandonment.
In
Still, AB 2262 by Assemblyman Alberto Torrico (D-Newark) passed 33 to 3 and returns to the Assembly for final approval.
Times staff writer Patrick McGreevy contributed to this report.#
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-legis29-2008aug29,0,1216327.story
Assembly approves plan to invest in urgent water needs
The
Today, during a special legislative session on water, the State Assembly approved a proposal to spend prior voter approved bonds on urgently-needed water storage, reliability, and conservation efforts. Senate Bill 1xx by Senate President pro Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland) appropriates approximately $820 million in funds from bonds including Proposition 84 and Proposition 1E, which voters passed in 2006.
"This week, during a hearing of the Special Committee on Water, Californians from throughout the state whose livelihoods depend on adequate water supply urged the state to step up and take the necessary steps to provide for this state´s water needs. Today, the Assembly responded by passing SB 1xx, which allocates funds desperately needed to provide relief from the current drought, help stabilize the failing Sacramento San Joaquin Bay Delta, and invest in water supply quality and reliability," said Assemblywoman Lois Wolk (D-Davis), chair of the Assembly´s Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee and Special Committee on Water, who presented the bill on the Assembly floor.
"This measure is a first step to providing Californians throughout the state with a safe, reliable, long-term water supply. It is essential that we allocate these funds immediately in response to the state´s most urgent needs," she said.
SB 1xx makes a number of appropriations, most significantly $325 million to help stabilize the Sacramento San Joaquin Bay Delta, which supplies roughly two-thirds of the state with drinking water, and is the heart of California´s water and agricultural system. Funding targeting Delta projects includes:
135 million to the Department of Water Resources for essential emergency preparedness supplies and projects, particularly for projects that protect and improve Delta water quality and drinking water supplies.
100 million to prevent catastrophic failure of Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta levees, consistent with the Delta Vision Strategic Plan. Projects would improve the stability of the Delta levee system, reduce subsidence, and assist in restoring the ecosystem of the Delta—giving priority to projects that improve conditions for Delta smelt and other native fish.
50 million for drinking water intake projects to improve the quality of drinking water supply from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, including projects within
Additional funds allocated by the measure include:
50 million for drinking water systems for small communities;
50.4 million to clean up contaminated groundwater aquifers; and
181 million for integrated regional water management planning and implementation of water projects to help provide Californians long-term, quality, sustainable water supply.
"This bill is the first step to addressing California´s long-term water needs," said Senator Perata, in a statement issued when the measure was approved Tuesday by the Special Committee on Water. "SB 1XX gets money out the door so water agencies can tackle the most pressing problems, boost supplies, and improve water reliability for all Californians."
Wolk urged her colleagues to put voter approved funds to immediate use.
"It has been 22 months since voters approved these bonds funds. We need to get this money into our communities where it can do some good," she said. "This isn´t a partisan issue. It´s not an urban, agricultural, or environmental issue. It´s not a north, south or an east, west issue. This is money for emergency preparedness, for drinking water quality, for groundwater contamination cleanup and other critical projects that water agencies and experts throughout the state have supported and worked very diligently to put to work in communities throughout the state."
The measure is supported by a broad coalition of water districts, local governments, business, labor and environmental organizations including the Association of California Water Agencies,
This week, the Assembly also plans to take up companion legislation to SB 1xx, AB 7xx by Assemblywoman Wolk. The measure works to prepare the state´s water system for the threats of climate change, by incorporating climate change information into California´s existing water planning efforts.#
http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/72556
Canal foes: Delta promises broken: Farmers, anglers say health of estuary neglected
The
By , Staff Writer
The government should keep its promises.
So said farmers, anglers and water lawyers who got one last chance Thursday to protest a plan proposing a peripheral canal as the "linchpin" of the state's future water system.
The canal would take water from the Sacramento River near Hood and skirt it around the central Delta to state and federal pumps near
One problem, critics say: The government historically promised that the Delta's needs would come first. Only surplus water would be shipped south.
"What is currently conveyed to the south is already too much water, and the Delta tells us so," said Dave Scatena, a fisherman.
In
The team has written a report to be made final by the end of October. That report will go to the governor and help shape legislation next year to tackle the Delta's numerous problems, at an estimated cost of $12 billion to $24 billion over the next 15 years.
While Thursday's meeting was their last chance to publicly condemn the draft report, canal opponents vowed they would continue to fight. And many are seasoned veterans.
Rogene Reynolds, who lives on
"This is a simple rehash of what we had 30 years ago," she said.
A Delta Vision spokesman said very little of the report is "in concrete" and that the public comments taken Thursday would help shape the final version.
Many observers, however, say they feel the whole thing is a done deal.
While the report says the environment and water supply should be treated as "co-equals," and while a canal would be only part of the proposed solution, critics note that the report fails so quantify how much fresh water will be needed to keep the Delta healthy. Indeed, that answer might never be known, according to the report.
What the government did know as far back as 20 years is that it would eventually need more water, said
Millions of acre-feet of water were supposed to come from rivers on
Even though that water never materialized, exports from the Delta soared.
"You people have bought into this idea of co-equality" of the environment and water supplies, Nomellini told Frank. "That turns upside-down the whole promise ... that the needs of
Nomellini said he expects a decade-long court battle.
Frank said Thursday's arguments were "well thought out" and that he'd share them with the rest of the task force.
"We have absolutely no power" in the ultimate outcome, he said. "We've been asked to hear from folks like you and come up with recommendations," but it will be up to the lawmakers after that.
And perhaps the judges.#
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080829/A_NEWS/808290337/-1/A_NEWS
Water bill divides county's reps: Malfa, Wolk disagree on climate change, effects of analyzing it
The
The bill, authored by 8th District Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Davis, was approved 8-4 Tuesday by the Assembly Special Committee on Water, of which Wolk is chairwoman.
Assemblyman Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, whose 2nd District shares
The bill would require the state Department of Water Resources, or DWR, to include climate change analysis in all of its water management reports and plans, including surface storage feasibility studies and plans related to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
After Jan. 1, 2011, the DWR would be prohibited from approving any integrated regional water management grants for plans that do not include such analysis.
To assist local water agencies in sifting through the ever-expanding body of research related to climate change, the DWR would be required to identify the most reliable climate change information.
"This bill will be the first comprehensive statute to begin preparing
Supporters of the measure assert that water use and conveyance are significant contributors of greenhouse gas emissions that lead to climate change.
The bill analysis Wolk submitted to the water committee Tuesday cited a 2005 California Energy Commission study that found that water use amounts to 19 percent of
LaMalfa, who has long said he does not agree with "the global warming theory," said the bill's efforts to guard against future environmental threats were both "premature" and "wasteful."
"This bill is really just a backdoor attempt to hinder the construction of any new surface water storage in
In addition to trying to make future water-planning efforts greener, Wolk's bill would also fund a study by the DWR examining how existing water recycling and conservation efforts throughout the state have helped reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Some opponents of the bill worry that funding for such efforts would come from the state's overdrawn general fund, but Wolk and other supporters say funding could likely be found elsewhere, such as through Proposition 84, a safe drinking water bond passed in 2006.
The bill now moves to the Assembly floor, where it is scheduled to come up for a vote Thursday, according to Wolk spokeswoman Melissa Jones. The deadline to pass bills for the 2008 Legislative session is currently set for Sunday.#
http://www.dailydemocrat.com/news/ci_10325295
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