by Webmaster

A Watershed Moment for Water

Early Saturday morning, the state Legislature adjourned without passing a comprehensive water package that would have fixed the fragile Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and ensured a safe and reliable water system for all Californians. With California's lifeblood on the line, the L.A. Area Chamber urges Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature to convene a special session immediately and complete this important work.

Fixing the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is critical to preserving one of our state's most delicate ecosystems and ensuring continued water delivery to all Californians. This aging system of levees, canals and pumps is already under judicial monitoring due to environmental degradation and is one moderate earthquake away from collapse. Such a disaster would flood the Delta with saltwater, rendering it undrinkable, decimate the state's agricultural industry, cut off one-third of Southern California's water supply and leave much of the area south and east of San Francisco critically short of water.

Fortunately, a legislative holy grail — resolving the decades-old crisis — appears closer than ever. Once competing interests, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, Central Valley agriculture groups, Metropolitan Water District, the L.A. Area Chamber and business groups up and down the state, are now working together, in a bipartisan way with lawmakers on a compromise.

The crux of this compromise is the creation of a new authority — the Delta Stewardship Council — to coordinate multiple overlapping local and state agencies in the development of a plan that that will promote two co-equal goals:

• Environmental restoration of critical ecosystem resources in the Delta
• Restoration of the water supply and reliability of the State Water Project

The Council is an essential governance reform that will help the entire state better manage our precious water supplies and environmental resources.

Critical work remains during a special session. Specifically, lawmakers must agree on how to pay for much of the compromise, which includes plans for new surface and underground storage, environmental restoration, local recycling, groundwater cleanup and conservation projects. Placing a series of bonds before California voters will be essential, but Democrats and Republicans will have to develop a final package that responsibly finances this long-term investment. We urge that the California Water Commission be given new authority to make sure the public's money is spent wisely.

Despite the setback last week, the timing is right for our state lawmakers to finally produce a legislative victory that will benefit our entire state for years to come. Water is our most fundamental economic and environmental resource and this is our watershed moment to act. The Chamber applauds Gov. Schwarzenegger and the legislative leadership of both parties for their commitment to passing a water solution this year.

And that's The Business Perspective.