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ACWA Endorses Water-Related Bond Measures; Board Supports Propositions 84, 1E on November Ballot

Posted on: Friday, 28 July 2006, 18:00 CDT

The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) today endorsed two water-related bond measures that would make critical investments in the state's water supply and flood control systems.

ACWA's Board of Directors voted by an overwhelming majority to support Proposition 84, a $5.4 billion bond initiative that would fund an array of water- and resources-related projects around the state, and Proposition 1E, which would authorize $4.1 billion in bond funding for levee repair and flood-related programs. Both measures will appear on the November 7 ballot.

"These measures provide for needed investments in our supply and flood control systems," ACWA President Randy Fiorini said. "In the case of Prop. 84, it will provide funding for every region of the state, and get money into the hands of local agencies who have been very successful at developing new water supplies."

Proposition 84, which qualified for the ballot through the initiative process, would also fund coastal protection, forest and wildlife conservation and parks. ACWA's support for the measure reflects a comprehensive analysis of the bond initiative and the potential funding it would provide for ACWA members to carry out critical programs. If approved by voters, the initiative would provide funding for virtually every one of the 12 actions outlined in ACWA's water policy document, No Time to Waste: A Blueprint for California Water.

Proposition 1E, part of a larger $37 billion infrastructure package placed on the ballot by the Legislature and Governor Schwarzenegger, would provide much-needed funding to help protect Californians from Hurricane Katrina-style flooding. It would help strengthen levees throughout the Central Valley and in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, an area increasingly vulnerable to large-scale levee failure that could leave more than 23 million Californians without a key water supply source. Levee improvements and Delta protection were among the most urgent recommendations in ACWA's Blueprint document.

"Propositions 84 and 1E go a long way toward making the policy ideals found in ACWA's Blueprint a reality of sustainable investment in California," Fiorini said.

Proposition 84 would provide funding for virtually every one of the 12 actions outlined in ACWA's Blueprint, including:

-- $525 million for safe drinking water and water quality projects

-- $1 billion for integrated regional water management

-- $800 million for flood control

-- $65 million for statewide water planning

-- $928 million for protection of rivers, lakes and streams

ACWA now joins a growing list of elected officials, civic groups, environmental organizations, and others to back Proposition 84, including both U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In other action, the Board voted to oppose Proposition 90, a purported "reform" of eminent domain law that is unnecessarily punitive to water agencies and taxpayers.

ACWA's analysis and general information on the measures are at www.acwa.com.

ACWA is a statewide association of public agencies whose 440 members are responsible for about 90% of the water delivered in California. For more information, visit www.acwa.com.

Source: Business Wire

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