Serving Water Needs of All

Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt and Gov. Pete Wilson have taken an important step in putting their political muscle behind efforts to fix the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the heart of California’s vast water delivery system. The two agreed that a long-term state and federal water program must not be allowed to fail, something that is bound to happen if the entrenched water wars of the past return to life

The outcome of the water program, known as Cal-Fed, may make it the most important resource decision made in the past half century, Babbitt said, so much so that he has taken personal charge of the federal side of the process.

Indeed, Cal-Fed involves nothing less than the water Southern California needs to maintain a growing economy and population in the 21st century, along with the state’s thriving agriculture industry. The project also must restore the environmental health of the delta, a rich natural wonderland battered by nearly 50 years’ diversion of water into the great southbound canals. In high-rain years like this one, it is easy to forget the stresses of normal years, much less drought years.

Cal-Fed involves negotiations among a dozen federal and state agencies and a large party of “stakeholders”--farmers, urban water agencies and environmental groups. Wilson is pushing for them to reach a decision before he leaves office on the outline of changes in the water supply system that can best serve the multiple goals of the four-year-old Cal-Fed process.

But this is a 30-year program costing multiple billions of dollars that cannot be pushed any faster than the parties are willing to go. Unfortunately, the entire delta solution too often gets boiled down to one shorthand question: Whether to build a version of the Peripheral Canal that was promoted as the answer to Southern California’s water supply and quality problems in 1982. That battle bitterly split California, north versus south, and the canal was soundly defeated by voters.

The new canal would have only one-half the capacity of the 1982 model and is just one piece of an incredibly complex program. The decision for or against such a canal must be made on the basis of how it would serve the entire Cal-Fed project, and not just for the purpose of delivering fresher Sacramento River water to Southern California.

Both Babbitt and Wilson sent a strong signal that the decision process between now and December must not work to the disadvantage of anyone. All sides also need to recognize that neither Babbitt nor Wilson can impose a Cal-Fed decision on their own, as much as either might be tempted. Their role is to keep all the parties at the table until they can agree among themselves.

All interests--agriculture, the urban water agencies and the environment--must be full partners in the process. Otherwise, Cal-Fed is bound to fail and the opportunity may be lost for another generation.