Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers came very close earlier this month to a historic pact aimed at restoring the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and ensuring the future of California's water supply. They should get back to work and close that deal.
The package that died at the end of the legislative session was like a glass half full. It was missing some crucial elixers – the result of some hasty, last-minute bartending. But now there is time to finish the job and give the proposals the public vetting they deserve. Why wait?
This package included some attractive elements, including provisions for conservation and groundwater management. The bills would set a statewide goal of reducing water consumption by 20 percent by 2020, and they would expand the state's role in monitoring the overdrafting of groundwater.
The package includes proposals for governing the Delta that improve on the status quo. But certain parts of the state could potentially be harmed by decisions made by this new governing board. They need assurance that they will have reasonable representation on that panel.
Under the legislation that died, a proposed Delta Stewardship Council with wide power over the region's future would include just one member from the area. That's not enough.
We like the proposals for a Delta Conservancy to watch over the environment, a science board to ensure that the Stewardship Council's decisions are based on facts, and a single water master to focus decision-making and accountability for the movement of water through the Delta.
The legislation also would require the State Water Board to study how much water is needed for fish and wildlife in the Delta. The same board would be one of several agencies with authority to issue or deny permits for a proposed canal to move water around or through the Delta to the south.
One condition of those permits would be that sufficient water remains in the Delta to preserve and enhance its habitat. That's a good idea, so long as water sufficient to protect upstream tributaries – such as the American River – is part of the deal.
The financing plan is the weakest link in the package. The governor and Republicans in the Legislature have, oddly enough, pushed for more than $10 billion in general obligation bonds to finance Delta protections and, possibly, two new dams and reservoirs. When they are all sold, these bonds would drain nearly $1 billion a year from the state's general fund.
A far better way to pay for these improvements would be to assess a fee on the users of the water that is moved, stored or diverted from the Delta.
This kind of user-pays system is more equitable and smarter than bonds because it would provide an incentive to encourage conservation. In the case of proposed reservoirs, it would also ensure that these controversial new projects get built only if there are people who need the water they would store and would be willing to pay for it.
There is hardly an issue more important to California than the future of its water supply. The governor and lawmakers deserve credit for getting this package so close to the finish line. They can't quit now.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.