Increased water storage and improvements to transporting water are among the pieces of a $9.3 billion bond proposal from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein to address the state’s water shortage crisis. In June, Schwarzenegger declared a statewide drought and ordered state agencies and departments to take immediate action to address the serious drought conditions and water delivery reductions that exist in California. The bond proposal announced July 10 is a compromise plan to update the state’s water system by increasing storage, improving conveyance, protecting the Delta’s ecosystem and promoting greater water conservation. “The goal of this plan is to break the long-standing stalemate over water,” Feinstein said. Under the proposal, $2 billion goes toward a regional water management plan; $1.9 billion to projects supporting sustainability in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta; $3 billion toward statewide water system operational improvement; $1.3 billion toward conservation and watershed improvement; $800 million toward groundwater protection and water quality; and $250 million toward water recycling.
