Sen. Boxer Introduces Water Plans

Sen. Barbara Boxer on Tuesday introduced legislation to fund the study of 18 water projects around the state.

The proposals focus on recycling, conservation and desalination, avoiding controversial projects such as dams. “I’m trying to come up with something that moves [forward] -- to come up with a supply of water that would not be controversial,” said Boxer (D-Calif.).

Population growth and the state’s need to reduce its consumption of Colorado River water both underscore the importance of developing more water supplies, Boxer added.

The bill would provide $28 million in federal funding to help pay for 22 feasibility studies, with state and local agencies providing an equal sum.

The proposals include:

* Water reclamation and desalination projects in the city of Santa Cruz.

* Construction of pipelines and storage tanks to deliver recycled water for industrial and irrigation use in the San Fernando Valley and Elysian Park areas of Los Angeles.

* Construction of a 5-million-gallon-a-day wastewater treatment facility at the San Luis Rey Water Reclamation plant in San Diego County to provide recycled water to irrigation customers in Oceanside.

* Enlargement of the storage capacity at Santa Barbara County’s Twitchell Reservoir by removing sediment from the reservoir bottom.

* An assessment of groundwater supplies beneath San Diego Bay.

The bill also increases funding for federal water conservation grants to the states.