California's lawmakers to vote on comprehensive water policy change

Nov. 2, 2009 | By Julie Small | KPCC
Download

California lawmakers could vote as early as today on bills intended to improve the state’s water supply. Some thought they’d be able to agree on a plan last week, but negotiations stalled. Despite the setbacks, one veteran of California’s water wars says there’s still reason to hope legislators will finally improve the state's water supply.

At a joint hearing last week on a $9 billion bond proposal to upgrade the state’s water supply system, water expert Phil Isenberg told lawmakers, "This is a marvelous achievement to get this far. I did not think you would ever be here."

Isenberg chaired the governor’s blue ribbon task force on how to restore California’s main water source: the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. At the bond hearing last week, Isenberg commended lawmakers for bringing together a wide variety of disparate issues in way that could provide water for Californians while improving the ecology of the Delta. “Not easy,” Isenberg observed.

"I walked into this building as a young staffer in 1961," Isenberg added, "and I’ve watched or participated in every single water battle ever since, and this is the closest the Legislature has come to a comprehensive set of policies."

Those policies would create a new governing body for the Delta that would exercise authority to protect and improve that water supply. Other changes would mandate state monitoring of groundwater, increase fines for water theft, encourage urban users to conserve 20 percent more water in the next 11 years, and compel farmers to employ water-saving technologies and methods.

Join our community: Like KPCC on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to get updates and talk about the day's news with other fans.

blog comments powered by Disqus