Water Plan Needs a Boost

For five years, federal and state agencies have worked--sometimes struggled--with farmers, environmentalists and urban water agencies toward a sweeping plan to restore the environment of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and also assure a steady supply of high-quality water to cities and farms south of the delta. As one participant described the process last Friday, it has been “slow, painful, onerous and debilitating.” But the working forum known as Cal-Fed is about to make real decisions that will affect the environment and water use in California for decades.

Unfortunately, the process appears to be losing momentum and the vigorous support of key political leaders just when it needs them most. The closer Cal-Fed comes to making real choices--new water storage reservoirs, for example, or increased conservation or both--the more contentious the debate is likely to become. The next six months will be critical to the future of the process. That is why federal and state leaders, particularly Gov. Gray Davis, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt and President Clinton, need to give Cal-Fed a strong vote of confidence right now.

The State Water Project, which draws its supplies from the delta, is a major purveyor of water to 16 million Southern Californians via the Metropolitan Water District. A healthy delta is vital to the quality and reliability of Southern California’s domestic and industrial water supply. Without Cal-Fed, cities, farms and environmental watchdogs are likely to turn to the courts and regulators to settle their disputes. That is no way to make such important, sweeping policy.

Neither Davis nor Babbitt was on hand Friday when officials released their report on Cal-Fed proposals over the next seven years, costing an estimated $5 billion. A Babbitt assistant and Mary Nichols, Davis’ resources secretary, were present and strongly endorsed the plan. But the perception among insiders is that commitment from the top is weakening.

Friday’s event came as state and federal officials grappled with an environmental crisis that forced them to severely cut back pumping from the delta. An unusual concentration of the endangered delta smelt was being sucked into the giant pumps and an unacceptable number of the fish was killed.

Critics of Cal-Fed said the smelt incident showed that five years of state and federal efforts to improve delta operations haven’t worked. But Cal-Fed leaders said the problem was exactly the sort that the project outlined Friday is designed to prevent. The Cal-Fed leaders had it right. Without Cal-Fed, California condemns itself to a bitter new round of water battles. But if Cal-Fed is to succeed, Davis and Clinton need to demonstrate their commitment to the only realistic solution to California’s constant water problems.