Paying Sacramento’s Water Bill

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By HOLLY SCHROEDER and DAVID FLEMING

After decades of inaction and contentious disputes, California’s water system is finally on the brink of bringing us into the 21st century and preserving the vital Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta hub that is the conduit for the liquid lifeblood that sustains the vast majority of the state.

The Legislature recently reached agreement on a wide-ranging set of measures aimed at improving the state’s water supply – and stopping the environmental hemorrhaging in the delta – but is just short of reaching consensus on financing.

The need is critical – now more than ever – for the Legislature and all parties involved to quickly and fairly resolve this matter. We cannot afford to wait a moment longer to find real solutions to balance the ecological and economic needs pressuring this vital 700-mile maze of waterways, levees and islands that drives the state’s economy.

The delta supplies water to two out of every three Californians in Southern, Central and Northern California. And it is the largest single drinking-water source in the nation. Delta supplies are also used to irrigate 750,000 agricultural acres, directly supporting $400 billion of the state’s $1 trillion industry.

But California’s water system – built for a population of 18 million and now serving nearly 30 million – is strained to the breaking point, seismically vulnerable and in need of being upgraded immediately. Some have estimated the aging system of canals and levies is just a single moderate earthquake away from collapse, which would flood the delta with saltwater and render it unusable.

Without quick and immediate action, economic development and job creation are at serious risk of becoming secondary considerations if Southern California cannot guarantee safe, reliable and competitively priced access to water.

Ecological considerations also are straining the system and thousands of acres of delicate delta habitat need to be restored for native fish and other species. Dwindling fish populations, and the endangered delta smelt, have triggered judicial monitoring and delta water-supply restrictions that threaten to keep Southern California and much of the state in shortage conditions.

No time to waste

While it has long been said in California that “Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting,” those times are gone. There is no longer time for any battles or delays in fixing this situation to ensure conveyance and delta ecological issues are co-equally represented in decisions that will affect all of our futures.

Southern California and Los Angeles County business and other leaders are not asking for more water from the delta. It is simply clear that a major investment in water conveyance and environmental restoration is needed immediately.

Moving beyond decades of infighting, the Metropolitan Water District, business leaders and organizations including the Los Angeles County Business Federation, the Natural Resources Defense Council, agriculture groups and the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce have supported and helped work on the current bipartisan legislative compromise that includes a Delta Stewardship Council that will seek to ensure a solid balance of environmental and water-system restoration efforts.

Now, all that remains for a potentially historic resolution that will propel California forward is resolving funding issues for the compromise, which also includes new surface and underground storage, local recycling, and groundwater cleanup. Approval by California voters for a series of bonds will be essential, as well as checks and balances to ensure financially responsible long-term investment.

With a potential solution so close at hand, it is imperative that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger – who last August addressed the Southern California Leadership Council and indicated fixing the state’s water system would be a top administration goal – call a special legislative session to hammer out the final remaining issues.

California can no longer afford to wait. Ensuring a reliable water supply for Southern California and all regions is critical to business – and every single resident – and the decisions that are made need to ensure that economic and ecological goals are co-equal. Legislative action on this historic issue – now – is vital to the vibrancy of our economy and region for years to come.

Holly Schroeder chairs and David Fleming is the founding chairman of the Los Angeles County Business Federation, or BizFed. Fleming also is a member of the board of the Metropolitan Water District.

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