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Wednesday’s top of the scroll is this coverage wrap-up: Hearings to fix state’s water system begin, Governor says he won’t sign anything that doesn’t include bonds for new dams and reservoirs

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on August 19, 2009 at 8:52 am

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

“The pitched battle over California’s water crisis shifted from desiccated Central Valley farm fields to the Capitol Tuesday, with state lawmakers debating how to fix the maze of rivers, pipelines and state laws responsible for delivering water to millions.

Amid ecological disaster in the hub of the state’s water system and ongoing drought that has forced water cuts from Redding to San Diego, a joint committee of the state Assembly and Senate held a wide-ranging hearing on five bills that aim to end four decades of wrangling over California’s most precious resource.

Much of the discussion centered on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, an important ecosystem that also funnels water to two thirds of California.

Years of excessive water withdrawals, increasing pollution and the spread of invasive species has brought the system to near-collapse, decimated native fish populations and thrown the state’s water supply into question.

“Benign neglect has not served the delta well,” said Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto and author of one of the bills. “The day of reckoning is here.” …”

Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.

From Stockton’s Record:

“All sides agree the status quo in the deteriorating Delta will not work, but few seem satisfied with the legislation in its current form. Water districts from the Bay Area to San Diego want funding for more dams in addition to a canal to ship water around rather than run it through the heart of the estuary; Delta residents want a louder voice in the process since they believe their fields, waterways and communities hang in the balance.

The legislative session ends in a matter of weeks, raising concerns that lawmakers – in their haste to end the state’s three-decade water stalemate – may push through bad policy.

But Democrats said the time to act is now. “What we have to decide in the next month is whether to continue with this situation, cross our fingers and hope the Delta will pull out of this death spiral, or chart a bold new direction,” said Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, author of one of the five bills by Democrats. …”

Read more from the Record by clicking here.

From the Fresno Bee:

“Schwarzenegger and lawmakers from both parties have made water-related issues a top priority now that the state’s fiscal mess has been addressed. Yet the legislative package before lawmakers this week was written by Democrats and omits funding to build reservoirs, prompting critical comments Tuesday from GOP lawmakers and the Republican governor.

Schwarzenegger has joined Republican lawmakers and some Democrats who represent districts in the Central Valley in pushing for dams and expanding underground water storage.

“I will not sign anything that does not have above-the-ground and below-the-ground water storage,” Schwarzenegger said during a news conference on the steps of the Capitol, surrounded by Central Valley farm workers bused to Sacramento for the day. “We need a whole package to restore our water today and ensure that we have water for tomorrow.” …”

More from the Fresno Bee by clicking here.

From the Los Angeles Times:

“Southern California water managers say a new reservoir in Northern California would be of little use to them because the water would still have to be shipped south through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, which is in ecological collapse and subject to increasingly strenuous pumping restrictions.

They want a new method of getting water south, probably a multibillion-dollar canal that would carry supplies around the delta from the Sacramento River.

The Democrats’ water package does not authorize any specific projects, but creates a powerful council that would have the authority to embark on proposals such as a delta bypass. The council’s members would be appointed by the governor and the Legislature. The bills also include delta protections, call for an examination of water rights in the delta watershed and mandate a 20% reduction in per capita urban water use.

Assemblyman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), a sponsor of the package and chairman of the lower house’s Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee, said the state needed to agree on what to do about the delta’s many problems before approving the issuing of bonds. “We’re out of money, and we’ve got the worse credit rating in the United States,” he said. “To suddenly link [a bond measure] to the resolution of the critical crisis in the delta I think is irresponsible.” …”

Read more from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.

From the Sacramento Bee:

“Democrats are pushing a five-bill package that does not include financing for water projects. Rather, the bills would create a seven-member council to make key decisions on how to restore the Delta while assuring more reliable water supplies. Democrats say the council is needed to bring more order in the Delta, which is now overseen by more than 200 separate agencies. Court rulings have blamed water pumping in the Delta’s southern end for the decline of several fish species.

The two parties sparred over the bills at the hearing. The debate included a testy exchange between Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis – who represents Delta residents who oppose a proposed new canal to move water around the Delta – and Sen. Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, whose farming constituents want the canal.

Wolk said even if a bond were approved this year, it would not translate into immediate water supplies because of lengthy construction timelines. “If you put the shovel in the ground tomorrow, you won’t have any water available for a generation.”

Cogdill shot back: “All we continue to do is talk and meet and submit bills and argue over them and get absolutely nowhere. And the problem is not going away.” …”

Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.

August 19, 2009 · Filed Under Water Legislation

Comments

One Response to “Wednesday’s top of the scroll is this coverage wrap-up: Hearings to fix state’s water system begin, Governor says he won’t sign anything that doesn’t include bonds for new dams and reservoirs”

  1. WaterSource on August 20th, 2009 4:17 am

    Dear Governor Schwarzenegger,

    If you mean what you say about wanting, ” a whole package with storage “, then please consider the following:
    It is possible to develop an outside (non-tributary) fresh water Source and deliver it to the Colorado River, store it and let it accumulate at the rate of a million acre feet a year. Lake Mead is only half full and holds 28.5 million acre feet. Lake Mead has been predicted to go dry in the coming years. Water from the new Source can keep Lake Mead FULL and producing 2000 megawatts of RENEWABLE ENERGY valued at $ 2 billion a year. Development of the new Source will not damage the environment or the water rights of others. The Source is legally available and economically feasible to develop and deliver to CA. The evaporation rate of an extra million acre feet of water from Lake Mead at its present level will be 5%. waterrdw@yahoo.com WaterSource/WaterBank Retired Water Rights Analyst … Waste Not Want Not

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