Governor unveils water plan

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday renewed his plan to build new dams and a Delta canal to solve California's water woes, even as his own blue ribbon water panel suggests a decidedly different approach.

The governor called a special session of the Legislature, now under way, to deal with California's water crisis. He hopes to reach a deal on a bond measure in time for the Feb. 5 ballot.

The crisis was prompted by declining fish species and the threat of a disaster in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. An Aug. 31 federal court ruling also may require water diversions from the Delta to be slashed up to 37 percent starting in December. This could mean rationing for 23 million Californians who get water from the Delta.

Schwarzenegger's $9 billion plan, presented Tuesday, includes many features in a proposal he offered earlier this year. It includes $600 million in immediate spending to address environmental problems in the Delta.

But the plan's primary focus is new hardware: $5.1 billion for new dams, and up to $1.9 billion for a canal to move Sacramento River water safely around or through the Delta.

It specifically names three dam projects: Sites Reservoir in Glenn and Colusa counties, Temperance Flat Reservoir on the San Joaquin River, and enlarging Los Vaqueros Reservoir in Contra Costa County.

"Our water crisis has gotten worse with the dry conditions and the recent federal court action that is going to have a devastating impact on the state's economy," the Republican governor said in a statement, referring to the decision by a federal judge to reduce Delta water pumping. "We need a comprehensive fix."

Democrats in the Legislature aren't comfortable with any proposal that names specific dam projects. Some also doubt that a deal can be reached in time.

"It's premature to conclude that either a canal or any specific dam is the magic bullet," said Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Davis. "I suspect we're not going to be doing anything for the February ballot because of the enormity and complexity of the task."

A $5.4 billion bond proposal by Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, allows spending on unspecified dams and canals, but only if they prove to be better than other projects, such as conservation and groundwater banking.

Both this proposal and the governor's would require a local agency to pay at least half the project costs, which could drive up local taxes or water rates.

Assemblyman John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, leader of a water working group in the Assembly, cautioned that a Delta canal doesn't have enough voter support.

"I think a Delta canal might risk an entire bond proposal," Laird said Tuesday.

California voters rejected a peripheral canal around the Delta in 1982. Schwarzenegger put it back into play this year amid growing scientific understanding about earthquakes, major storms, and sea level rise. Any of those threats could flood numerous levees in the Delta, tainting fresh water supplies.

But a Delta blue ribbon task force, appointed by Schwarzenegger this year, indicated in a first draft of its findings last week that building big things may not solve the Delta's troubles.

Rather, it calls for fundamental change in how the Delta is governed.

Noting that at least 220 government agencies have jurisdiction in the Delta, the task force proposes a new governance structure with "wide authority" to treat environmental values and water supply equally. This new entity must have the money and legal authority to control land use, water flow and environmental restoration.

"Humanity must learn to work with nature to achieve desired goals in the Delta," the draft states. "The state must seek a new balance that neither prioritizes human engineering over the ecosystem, nor abandons the Delta."

The draft will be discussed at a meeting of the task force Thursday and Friday in Sacramento. A final report is expected Nov. 30, with specific recommendations to enact it coming next year.

Some observers are pleased the task force is grappling with such fundamental problems.

"That sounds like a much more thoughtful and sustainable approach than simply slapping up more structures," said Matt Kondolf, a professor of landscape architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, who has studied the Delta's structural problems. "We should make sure we take advantage of cost-effective solutions which often involve changing the way we behave instead of simply pouring more concrete."

The task force also emphasizes creation of a "resilient" Delta, rather than one dependent on a single fix. There isn't enough known about how the Delta functions today, it says, so it is impossible to know what effect future changes will have.

The draft report also takes on some taboos, stating flatly that it won't be possible to export more water from the Delta in the future, and that housing must be kept out of flood-prone areas.

"All the activity on the bond makes even less sense right now given the really good direction that the (task force) seems to be moving in," said Laura Harnish, deputy regional director at Environmental Defense. "The governor should let this process that he wisely chartered take its course, and then follow its recommendations."

About the writer:

• The Bee's Matt Weiser can be reached at (916) 321-1264 or mweiser@sacbee.com. E.J. Shultz of The Bee Capitol Bureau contributed to this report.