Rescue of Watershed Supported

A key House committee voted Wednesday to renew an ambitious and politically contentious program to rescue the sickly Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California’s main watershed.

But the committee also put the state on notice to greatly reduce its use of Colorado River water or face a draconian cutback.

Rep. James V. Hansen (R-Utah) added a last-minute amendment to a bill sponsored by Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Riverside) and Rep. Calvin M. Dooley (D-Visalia) that, in effect, says California cannot expect any “surplus” water from the Colorado River after 2016.

California has already promised the six other states depending on the river that it will reduce its dependency on the Colorado.

The Hansen amendment would make that promise into a legally binding agreement and reduce the chances that California could get an extension of the deadline if its conservation plans lag.

The Resources Committee voted 24-18 to endorse the Calvert-Dooley bill, which includes $3 billion to complete the delta restoration program and an additional $60 million to clean up the increasingly salty Salton Sea.

The bill was opposed by two dozen environmental groups, including the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council. Environmentalists say the bill would lead to the building of more dams and reservoirs and would undercut conservation efforts.

Taxpayers for Common Sense, a Washington-based watchdog, said the bill “turns back the clock several decades to when taxpayers forked over billions in handouts for large, subsidized water projects.”

Backers of the bill added tens of millions to fund water projects in other Western states to win votes.

“Proponents have greased the wheels of the legislative machine by adding political pork,” said Common Sense analyst Aileen Roder.

Ronald Gastelum, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, praised the committee’s vote as a major step toward saving the state and federal effort to save the delta, which is plagued by pollution, silting and other problems.

The delta and the Colorado River are Southern California’s top sources of imported water. The MWD hopes the project, called Calfed, will improve the quality of delta water sent to Southern California.