Change Expected in Delta Water Policy

Gov. Pete Wilson is expected today to end weeks of speculation about the direction of his year-old water policy by backing away from support for temporary environmental protections in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

The specifics of the governor’s announcement, to be made at a news conference in Washington, were a closely guarded secret Wednesday. Wilson took several drafts of a letter outlining his new position--which one aide described as a “mid-course correction”--but had not settled on a final version, an Administration official said.

Several sources said, however, that Wilson’s decision would mark a change in his policy on how to protect the delta environment. “It will change the process as we now know it,” one Administration official said.

Wilson proposed the so-called interim delta standards a year ago in a major address touted by his staff, saying immediate protections for the estuary were necessary while a permanent solution to the delta’s environmental and water-delivery problems was sought. The delta serves as a collection basin for two-thirds of the state’s drinking water and is the primary source of irrigation water for Central Valley farms.

The proposed temporary standards, fashioned by the State Water Resources Control Board, became a thorny political issue for the governor. Farmers and irrigation districts in the Central Valley complained that the standards would divert too much water to fish and wildlife, leaving thousands of agricultural acres with no source of water.

Agriculture lobbyists have placed “enormous pressure” on the board and the governor since a draft version of the standards was released in December, one high-ranking Wilson official said. The board, which has two vacant seats, has been split for weeks on an order that would adopt the standards.

In the meantime, the federal government listed the delta smelt as a threatened species--the second delta fish protected under the Endangered Species Act. Several Wilson Administration officials said the governor is concerned that the delta would become a regulatory labyrinth if the state imposes interim protections on top of new federal requirements under the endangered species law.

Under one option recommended to Wilson, the governor would delay any new state protections until federal and state officials coordinate their delta policies. Last month, Wilson wrote a letter to President Clinton asking for a meeting of senior advisers to discuss delta environmental and economic concerns.

Another scenario has Wilson asking the state board to undertake a complete environmental assessment of the proposed standards--a step demanded by urban water agencies as well as agricultural ones--before making a final decision. That could delay adoption of standards for up to two years.

A third option has Wilson requesting that the state board postpone a decision until he appoints two new members, a move that skeptical environmentalists equate to “packing the court” with safe votes.

Although he has no direct authority over the state board, the governor appoints its members and has traditionally enjoyed its cooperation on water policy issues.

Board member Marc Del Piero said Wednesday that the board has received no communication from Wilson and has not discussed what action it would take when and if it does.