A Sign of The Times: L.A. Editorial Embraces New Water Philosophy

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 last week 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!

Traci Sheehan is the Executive Director of the Planning and Conservation League, a statewide, nonprofit lobbying organization. For more than thirty years, PCL has fought to develop a body of environmental laws in California that is the best in the United States. PCL staff review virtually every environmental bill that comes before the California Legislature each year. It has testified in support or opposition of thousands of bills to strengthen California's environmental laws and fight off rollbacks of environmental protections.