We’re at an historic moment. We have the possibility in the next three weeks of accomplishing something that has eluded us for 30 years, and that’s finding a positive solution to our water challenges in the Delta. There’s a sense of moment in Sacramento with regard to water and what needs to be done.

- Timothy F. Brick, Metropolitan Board Chairman

• A CALL FOR SOLUTIONS
• LEGISLATIVE EFFORTS
• COMMENT LETTERS ON PROPOSED LEGISLATION
• METROPOLITAN MEDIA STATEMENTS
• WHAT THE MEDIA ARE SAYING…
• METROPOLITAN’S POLICIES ON THE DELTA
• METROPOLITAN NEWS RELEASES
  

An Important Source of California's Water...

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, where the rivers of the western Sierra Nevada merge before heading into San Francisco Bay, is the hub of California's water system.

About 30 percent of Southern California's water supply moves across the Delta to the aqueduct system of the State Water Project.

The Delta's declining ecosystem, caused by a number of factors, has led to historic restrictions in water supply deliveries. The result is a pressing need to both improve the Delta environment and improve the water systems that help sustain the state economy. 

Click here for more background information.

Historic Delta Legislation Signed Into Law
  
A bold new comprehensive approach is now in place to address the crisis in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, improve water management statewide and invest in water reliability throughout California with Governor Schwarzenegger’s signing of five landmark bills that were approved by the State Legislature on November 4.

This is a tremendous moment in California water history.  The Legislature’s approval of this sweeping, bipartisan overhaul of the state’s water system reflects an unparalleled effort to move California into a new era of water reliability that will benefit the state’s residents and economy for generations to come.

The cornerstone of the comprehensive water package is restoration of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ecosystem, which Metropolitan fully supports. The legislation carefully balances the need for Delta improvements with water supply reliability for the State Water Project. They go hand-in-hand. As a foundation of this five-bill package, the legislation creates new a Delta Stewardship Council that will help  coordinate the actions of more than 200 local, state and federal agencies in the estuary. The legislation also establishes a pathway for the necessary conveyance and habitat improvement in the Delta, being developed by the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, to become part of a broader Delta Plan to be drafted by the new Stewardship Council.

As the financial plan to underwrite the public’s share of water investments, the Legislature approved an $11.1 billion bond that will be placed on the November 2010 ballot. If passed by voters next November, the bond will help fund Delta restoration, the public benefits associated with new storage projects, groundwater cleanup, recycling and regional water management efforts.

As part of statewide water management reforms, the Legislation also approved a program to lower per-capita water use by 20 percent by the year 2020 through locally-based conservation strategies, to establish locally-controlled groundwater monitoring programs and to mandate surface water measurement and reporting statewide, ending a specific exemption for diverters within the Delta.

The package reflects the successful completion of a decades-long effort by Metropolitan and many other water districts and stakeholders to forge a new direction for the Delta, where deteriorating environmental conditions have led to unprecedented water supply restrictions.
Governor Schwarzenegger, Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, minority leaders Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth and Assemblymember Sam Blakeslee, and legislators on both sides of the aisle should be commended for their leadership in getting this historic legislation approved.