Red Light, Green Light: Legislature Says Delta Bill Not Ready

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Two pieces of the solution to state's water management crisis still moving forward

By Traci Sheehan
Executive Director
Planning and Conservation League

Last week, the Legislature indicated that, despite the pressing need to address the ecosystem crash in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and declining water supply reliability statewide, one attention-grabbing Delta proposal was not ready for prime time.

On Tuesday, the Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee held SB 27 (Simitian) which would have established a new management entity for the Delta with the authority to build a version of the peripheral canal.

The canal, which would export freshwater directly from the Sacramento River, bypassing the delta, to the Bay Area, Southern California, and the San Joaquin Valley, has been a source of controversy due to fears that it could devastate the ailing Delta ecosystem.

During his presentation, Senator Simitian noted that the Bay-Delta is "going to hell in a hand basket" and that California cannot wait for a perfect solution to the Delta's woes.

Although many agreed with that sentiment, representatives from water agencies, community groups, and environmental organizations, including PCL, noted that SB 27 would be premature given that the Governor's Delta Vision Process is not scheduled to deliver final recommendations on the Delta's future until later this year and that the benefits and impacts of a peripheral canal are still unknown.

While opting to hold SB 27 for the time being, Senator Simitian committed to continue efforts to develop a Delta solution in future legislation.

Although the Legislature determined that Simitian's proposal was not yet ready to move forward, two measures, AB 2153 and AB 2175, which help reduce strain on the environment and secure the water supply reliability of all Californians, especially those who rely on the Bay-Delta for a portion of their water supply, are heading for the Assembly Appropriations Committee later this month.