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5 years agoon
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CalMattersDare we say it? The outlines of a truce in California’s unending water battles began to come into focus last week, though not everyone is willing to sign the treaty.
The Natural Resources Agency—including the Department of Water Resources and the Department of Fish and Wildlife — spent countless hours over several years convincing water users to develop a voluntary approach to improve ecosystem conditions for native fish species.
The approach state officials presented to the board would increase flows in rivers and the Delta and make major investments in habitat. Perhaps most important, it would create sustainable funding for these efforts, including fees on water diversions, while improving scientific research on and governance of restoration efforts.
To be clear, a framework was presented, not an actual settlement. But the framework contains commitments of water, habitat restoration and funding.
It also includes timelines for action from water users across the greater Sacramento–San Joaquin River watershed, and a willingness to get this settlement completed by the end of 2019. A few districts — such as the Oakdale, South San Joaquin and Merced Irrigation Districts — balked at the framework and are threatening litigation. But most of the watershed has signed on.
If this settlement is achieved and adopted by the board, it will be a major step forward in water management in the Central Valley. But a lot of work lies ahead. Water and habitat commitments—along with sources of funding—need further negotiation, and a robust governance and science program still needs to be designed.
Additionally, many of the non-governmental environmental organizations that were mostly left out of negotiations need to be more involved.
Finally, the federal government can either be a partner or a roadblock to this effort. Federal representatives actively participated in negotiations and helped spur innovative approaches along the way.
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