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Sunday’s top of the scroll: Winners and losers in water deal

Posted by: Maven on November 8, 2009 at 7:37 am

From the Contra Costa Times:

“Follow California’s water as it falls first as snow in the Sierra, melts and flows down rivers, through the Delta and out the Golden Gate, and you get a pretty good idea of where the “no” votes came from in one of the most important water policy shifts in decades.

Northern California lawmakers by and large voted against the main provisions of a water policy reform package last week while lawmakers from farther south mostly voted for it.

To many water managers in Northern California, the twin goals of the five-bill package — to stabilize water supplies in the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California while also dedicating more water for environmental restoration — sounded like a threat.

“It’s going to call for more exports,” said Dennis Diemer, general manager of the East Bay Municipal Utility District. “It’s going to call for more for the environment. Where is that water going to come from?”

The Oakland-based district, like other agencies that take water upstream of the Delta, wanted greater assurances that more water for the environment and other water users would not come at their expense.

They got some, but not all, of what they wanted. And while some Northern California agencies toned down their criticisms or went silent as changes were made, the East Bay district remained one of the plan’s most persistent critics. …”

Read more from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.

November 8, 2009 · Filed Under Legislation - State & Federal

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