California’s water needs: seeking balance

Two policies that have major impacts on California’s water supply are being debated this week, one at the federal level and one at the state level. Here are they are:

WIIN ACT

The federal Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act, passed in 2016, provides tens of millions of dollars for water projects across the West, including new dams and reservoirs. It also contains measures specific to California that maximize water deliveries from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Agriculture is one of the big benefactors of the law. An extension of the WIIN Act, which Sen. Dianne Feinstein is urging, would include a new provision that allows the federal government to raise money for river restoration in California. The addition, supported by Gov. Jerry Brown, is seen as a way to win support for a state plan to improve delta habitat, known as the Bay Delta Plan.

BAY DELTA PLAN

The proposal by the State Water Resources Control Board would help shore up the health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the hub of California’s water supplies and a choke point for salmon. The plan is to increase flows into the delta by restricting how much water cities and farms pump from rivers feeding the estuary. The State Water Board is scheduled to vote on the first part of the Bay Delta Plan on Wednesday. The initial proposal is to cut draws from the San Joaquin River and its three major tributaries. Farms and cities that tap these waterways have widely opposed the initiative.