California Senator Anna Caballero (D-Merced) announced that she is authoring a bill that would establish water supply targets to capture and produce enough water for the state’s needs.
Senate Bill 366, The California Water for All Initiative, would establish new water supply targets to capture and produce water and new requirements for state agencies. The office of Caballero says that the bill modernizes the California Water Plan.
“Despite decades of work to improve California’s water system, our infrastructure remains inadequate to meet present needs and is woefully unprepared to meet future needs,” said Caballero. “The targets set in place by SB 366 would create new accountability and effectively generate a commitment from the State, the water community, and stakeholders to follow through on comprehensive, long-term water supply solutions that will transform water management for generations to come.”
If enacted, SB 366 would establish long-term water supply targets for the state to achieve, require a financing plan, and would update the requirement that state agencies develop a plan to achieve those targets, in consultation with local water agencies, wastewater service providers and other stakeholders.
“The targets established in SB 366 would complement and amplify Governor Newsom’s Water Supply Strategy, ensuring there are water supply targets that extend beyond any single Administration,” said Barry Moline, executive director of the California Municipal Utilities Association. “California policymakers, the water community, and all stakeholders need to work together to get California’s water supply on the right track for future generations and we applaud Senator Caballero for her leadership on SB 366.”
While recent storms have been helpful, a combination of factors, including the driest three-year period in 1,200 years, an aging infrastructure, a growing economy, antiquated state policies, and climate change, have created a challenge that threatens the survival of some communities and sectors of the economy. This year’s storms will not resolve years of drought and have further illustrated aspects of our water supply infrastructure that are critically flawed and incapable of delivering contractual water supplies in times of abundance.
