PCL Insider: News from the Capitol

A SIGN OF THE TIMES: L.A. EDITORIAL EMBRACES NEW WATER PHILOSOPHY

This Monday the Los Angeles Times made news of its own with a surprising editorial that marks a major shift in long held battle positions in California's water wars.

The editorial strays from the Los Angeles tradition that sought to accommodate new growth with water from a far away river, such as the Owens River, the Colorado River and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Instead, the Times blazed a new path that recognizes that increasing demand, climate change and environmental crises make imported water less reliable than ever before. The editorial rightly calls for Southern California to accommodate growth through aggressive development of reliable local water supplies, such as stormwater capture, water recycling, groundwater clean-up, and increased efficiency.
 
Even more astonishing, the editorial proclaims to be the first in a Times series to "sketch a blueprint for a perfect water system" that "acknowledges how limited a resource water truly is–a plan that seeks to balance the needs of people, the economy, and the environment in considering how best to use and preserve it."

The editorial reflects a growing momentum for a new strategy to meet water needs in California that focuses on regional supply development and decreased reliance on water imports, the cornerstone of PCL's Investment Strategy for California Water (2004).

We look forward to working with progressive leaders in Southern California to implement a new vision for California water.

ADMINISTRATION PEDDLING OLD WATER IDEA; LEGISLATURE SAYS 'NOT SO FAST'

Despite the positive developments in Southern California, this week the Administration sent signals that it is focused on implementing an old idea, building a canal or pipe around the Delta in order to export water directly from the Sacramento River for delivery to the San Joaquin Valley, the Bay Area, and Southern California.

In a legislative hearing on Tuesday, Senator Mike Machado (D-Linden) grilled California Secretary of Resources Mike Chrisman about the Administration's plans, (first revealed in last week's PCL Insider and later in the Stockton Record) for studying and eventually building the peripheral canal without legislative oversight. While Chrisman's testimony was short on specifics, the Record reported that when asked whether the Governor would move forward on the canal plans, Chrisman answered, "The Governor can do what he wants in this particular area."

Hopefully, Chrisman's response does not mean that the Governor will act ahead of his own Delta Vision Task Force in declaring a solution for the Bay Delta Estuary. That Task Force is working quickly to develop an implementation plan for the Delta, and has not yet endorsed any particular recommendation for infrastructure in the Delta.

We strongly recommend that the Administration leaders take a look at the Los Angeles Times and follow their lead in moving away from old water tactics and toward more reliable water management in California.

ACCOUNTING FOR OURSELVES: STATE WATER BOARD ASKS STAFF TO RUN THE NUMBERS ON PROPOSED GLOBAL WARMING ACTIONS

Last Tuesday, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) urged their staff to refine a set of proposed measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with the movement, treatment, and use of water in California. As reported last week, the measures are being considered for inclusion into the SWRCB's Strategic Plan and the AB 32 Scoping Plan later this spring.

Although support for the initiative was high, several Board members expressed concerns about the lack of specifics in the staff proposal. Board member Gary Wolff also urged staff to establish better metrics and "consistent, defensible, and comparable" accounting mechanisms to track the effectiveness of any emission reduction measures the Board chooses to pursue.

To help the Board meet their tight deadlines, PCL's Matt Vander Sluis presented a set of recommendations on measures to prioritize, including enforcement of Best Management Practices at water utilities, incorporation of climate change into the SWRCB's review of water rights, and requirements for water recycling at water treatment facilities. The Natural Resources Defense Council also submitted detailed comments, highlighting California's water use efficiency potential and the environmental benefits of Low Impact Development.

Expect more news when SWRCB staff report back to the Board next month!

If the text of your PCL Insider does not display correctly (some readers have reported problems with the text not "wrapping" within the message window), please try accessing the current newsletter from our website: http://action.nwf.org/pcl/all-msgs.html.