SACRAMENTO - California lawmakers yesterday passed an $11 billion overhaul of the state’s antiquated water system in a bid to supply a soaring population while preserving a fragile environment.
After a long night of debate, the state Assembly voted in favor of the comprehensive package of water bills and a bond measure to fund them. The Senate also approved.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was expected to sign the five-bill package.
The plan provides funding for new dams, groundwater cleanup, conservation, and habitat restoration. It gives Schwarzenegger comprehensive tools to begin restoring the crucial Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and create a stable water supply for cities in Southern California and farmers in the Central Valley.
“Water is the lifeblood of everything we do in California. Without clean, reliable water, we cannot build, we cannot farm, we cannot grow, and we cannot prosper,’’ Schwarzenegger said.
Lawmakers have wrangled for years over how to upgrade the water system. The problems became more acute this year when farmers faced a third dry year with less snowfall and new pumping restrictions to protect a delta fish.
The water plan includes creation of a seven-member governing council to oversee the delta that funnels fresh water from Northern to Southern California, where most of the state’s population lives.
At the center of the new water package is the bond that has grown over the past two days to more than $11 billion.
