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What’s to Fallow: After years of drought, the legislature’s historic water deal is just the beginning

Posted by: Maven on December 20, 2009 at 8:06 am

From CFS Engineering:

“This is the final story in a four-part series on water. This month, we’ll wrap up by examining upcoming issues in 2010. Past installments of this series have explored water issues ranging from storage, conservation and desalination, to impacts of a peripheral canal on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Mark Twain once said that, in the West, “Whiskey is for drinking. Water is for fighting over.” For decades, California has been the living embodiment of Twain’s observation. Now, after two-plus years of contentious posturing and political bloodletting, California lawmakers have finally agreed on a multibillion-dollar plan to overhaul the state’s outdated water system. But while reformers have claimed victory in the biggest water battle to date, the real war — convincing voters to pay for it — is just getting started.

This won’t be an easy sale. Deep-seeded regional rivalries and powerful philosophical differences have always enveloped the state’s water policies. As Valerie Nera, a water policy advocate for the California Chamber of Commerce, notes, “Everybody thinks their priorities are more important than everyone else’s.” In spite of the bipartisan support, the $11.1 billion overhaul package from lawmakers in November does little to abate that perspective. … “

Read more from CFS Engineering by clicking here.

December 20, 2009 · Filed Under Legislation - State & Federal

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