U.S.-California Water Accord

The Times is to be commended for its editorial support of the people who worked so hard for so many years for that “historic peace treaty” between federal and state water projects.

You hit it on the button in an editorial in early October and then again on Nov. 3 when you said that President Reagan’s signing of HR 3113 signaled the possibility of a Coordinated Operation Agreement between the federal Bureau of Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources.

Let’s hope that happens. Such an agreement could open a new chapter in the cooperative use of California’s precious water resources. It also could serve as a model for other water agencies to reach their own truce.

What has happened in the passage of this measure is that all of California has pulled together. Interests in both the north and south saw the need for a coordinated effort.

As former chairman of the City Council’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee (and current chairman of the Intergovernmental Relations Committee), I can attest to the significance of the bill. It was tough to draw together recognition of its need and the support from our congressional representatives to get it to the President’s desk.

The Times deserves credit for its part in this long battle in recognizing that the Coordinated Operation Agreement authorized in HR 3113 acknowledges the reality of limited water supplies in the immediate future and in the decades to come.

There is the imperative for conservation, cooperation and sound management. All of California--the leaders in the North, Central and South--must work together to resolve the water problems.

Let’s hope this latest step works. There are a lot of people who have chosen to live in these big urban areas like Los Angeles where imported water is so essential.

JOHN FERRARO

Councilman

Fourth District

Los Angeles