Why The Urgency And Why Now?

After multiple years of drought, California is having a dry year and is well under its water supply capacity. The state’s Department of Water Resources maintains comprehensive drought information on its website.

To make matters worse, the Delta’s 1,100 miles of levees are aging and deteriorating, water supply and reliability are in jeopardy and native fish species are declining.

Water has long been California’s most important resource and management issues are not always clear cut. Instead, interests divide along regional, environmental and economic lines. Managing water resources challenges California’s policymakers to balance those interests with principles of sound science and best public benefit.

Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) outlined his priorities for a water solution. They include:

• Fixing the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta;
• Establishing enforceable water conservation standards;
• Better managing the state’s groundwater and surface water supplies;
• Providing funding for new infrastructure investment.