Posted on 09/17/2002 11:25:24 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
SACRAMENTO – Gov. Gray Davis has agreed to spend $200 million and potentially sacrifice some endangered brown pelicans to protect future water supplies in Southern California.
By signing two related measures yesterday, Davis hopes to help seal a tenuous seven-state pact to share the Colorado River and deliver a new supply of water to the San Diego region.
"These new laws will make California's water future more secure," Davis said.
However, the $200 million is contingent on voters approving Proposition 50, a $3.4 billion water bond on the November ballot. More importantly, the San Diego County Water Authority still must confront political, financial and environmental barriers to its bid to buy water from Imperial Valley farmers.
"There's a lot of work to be done before the signatures are on the paper," said Mary Nichols, secretary of the state Resources Agency.
Nonetheless, the two bills could remove significant obstacles as California races to comply with a federally imposed Dec. 31 deadline to prove the state can reduce its draw from the Colorado River.
If California succeeds in submitting to a strict water diet, the other Western states have agreed to give California 15 years to gradually reduce its use of the river. If the deal collapses, the Interior Department has threatened to immediately cut the state's allotment by 800,000 acre-feet of water a year – enough for 1.6 million households.
The San Diego County Water Authority's bid to buy 200,000 acre-feet of water from Imperial Valley farmers is an integral part of the river-sharing agreement.
The legislation signed by Davis helps move the transfer ahead, from an economic and environmental standpoint.
"It's a critical element," said Maureen Stapleton, general manager of the water authority. Without it, she said, California "would have no chance" to meet the Dec. 31 deadline.
The most contentious of the measures, SB 482, weakens an obscure but potent state law that safeguards rare fish and wildlife at the fragile Salton Sea and along the Colorado River corridor. The transfer has the potential of diverting water from the inland sea.
The legislation amends the Fully Protected Species Act, a law more stringent than the state or federal endangered species acts. Fully protected species cannot be killed nor can their habitats be destroyed. Under the endangered species laws, projects can harm wildlife as long as mitigation steps are taken.
The weakening amendment only applies to the Colorado River corridor and the Salton Sea, which straddles the Imperial and Riverside counties line.
"This was one of the things hanging everyone up," said Andy Horne, an Imperial Irrigation District board member involved in the negotiations. "We would not have been able to do anything."
The brown pelican, drawn to the Salton Sea by an abundance of fish, is the most widely known fully protected species in the area. Other birds include the California black rail and Yuma clapper rail. The Colorado River pikeminnow and razorback sucker also are considered fully protected.
Some environmental groups reluctantly agreed not to fight the measure, accepting assurances that the state will adopt a comprehensive management plan to minimize wildlife losses and restore habitat.
"It's a necessary evil," said Fred Cagle of the San Diego chapter of the Sierra Club.
But Cagle is alarmed that environmental laws are changing to push plans that have not been thoroughly aired.
"We're not sure of all of the ramifications," he said.
Kim Delfino, who represented Defenders of Wildlife in the legislative negotiations, said she recognized it was likely impossible to deliver water to San Diego without some harm to fully protected species and their habitat.
"It does lift a roadblock to the transfer," she said.
The measure sets aside $50 million for environmental restoration programs at the Salton Sea, if the water bond passes.
The second measure signed by Davis, AB 1473, could deliver another $150 million from the water bond to help California develop unspecified alternatives to Colorado River water.
The money could be used for desalination, conservation or even building a pipeline to replenish the Salton Sea, according to Tom Hannigan, director of the Department of Water Resources.
One thing it won't be used for, Hannigan insisted, is to find a substitute for the water the San Diego authority plans to buy. The state needs at least 800,000 acre-feet over time – not just 200,000 acre-feet, he said.
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That's 450 gallons per household per day. That's a LOT more than we use, probably by four times. Southern California typically wastes enormous amounts of water and could easily cover this amount with conservation. This isn't about existing users, it's about having the water allotments against which to issue new building permits.
Of course. Davis is not a Republican govenor.
God! Am I ever glad to have escaped California!
These measures are only a bandaid. An a bargin with the devil to boot.
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