Capitol insiders say state lawmakers are moving toward a water reform package that would upgrade California's water system, and allow it to serve the state's 38 million people. The current water system was constructed for 19 million people and doesn't adequately serve urban and agricultural users or allow enough water to protect the environment. That's a key reason this has been such a contentious issue in Sacramento.
The reform package would start with protecting the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which is crucial. If the Delta fails, most of the state will lose much of its water supply.
John Howard in the Capitol Weekly explains the Delta issue in a straightforward way. If you live in the San Joaquin Valley, you should understand the importance of the Delta to our quality of life:
"The delta is a vast estuary east of San Francisco through which flows most of California's drinking and agricultural water. The delta, fed by the state's major rivers, is crisscrossed by aging, fragile levees and sloughs. Powerful pumps at the southern edge of the delta pull water into the California Aqueduct and move it to central and southern California. Sustaining the health of the delta -- balancing the needs for water with environmental protections -- represents the crux of the debate over California's water future."
Four days later and still no comments on this one. Maybe that's because after over 20 years of hearing talk of a water reform plan, Californian no longer believe the legislature can nor will do it.