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on the Front Burner: 2010 Water Bond Fact Sheet |
California’s Water System is In Need of Immediate Repairs to Protect Our Water Supplies, Environment & Economy
November 2010 Water Bond is a Vital Step Forward to Restore and Improve our Water System
California's water system is outdated and straining to meet the needs of its residents, farms, businesses and environment. Designed 30 years ago to serve 16 million residents, our major water infrastructure now serves more than 38 million. Immediate investments are needed to repair and upgrade our network of waterways, levees and other water infrastructure; clean up our sources of drinking water; increase local supplies; expand conservation efforts; and restore key ecosystems. Unless action is taken, experts warn that our state will face continued water shortages, the potential for catastrophic failure of our water delivery system, and environmental collapse in areas vital to drinking water and wildlife. The Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2010 is a $11.14 billion bond on the November 2010 ballot that would provide funding to repair what is broken with California’s water system. Here is why voter approval is so important:
Multiple Threats to California’s Water System Must Be Addressed Now |
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| 1. Severely Limited Supplies of Water. California faces many challenges storing and moving sufficient water supplies to meet the needs of our economy and population. These challenges have worsened after three straight years of drought and will continue even when the drought ends. According to the California Department of Water Resources, in 2010, water agencies received the lowest initial allocation of water in more than 40 years from the State Water Project, one of our primary water supply hubs. Scientists warn that climate change is quickly reducing mountain snowpack and will make our water supply much more unpredictable. |
4. Crumbling & Aging Water Infrastructure at Risk of Failure. According to the Association of California Water Agencies -- the agency composed of organizations responsible for supplying water to people, businesses and farms -- California’s network of water storage and delivery infrastructure (pipes, canals, surface and groundwater storage facilities) is outdated and inadequate to meet California’s water supply and environmental needs. Hundreds of miles of levees that protect the Delta’s freshwater from floods and daily tides were originally built in the 1800s and will continue to fail because they were not constructed to be able to withstand rising sea levels or natural earthquake and flood risks identified by modern science. A recent levee failure caused nearly $100 million in economic damage and jeopardized water quality. |
| 2. Contamination & Pollution of Rivers, Lakes, Streams and Groundwater. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, more than 60 percent of rivers and streams tested in California are so polluted they fail to meet federal clean water standards. Ground water contamination also reduces supplies and threatens public health. Without new investments to protect and clean up contamination affecting the sources of drinking water, California will face continued environmental damage and continued reductions in the amount of clean, safe water available for our cities, farms and environment. |
5. The Delta in Crisis. The multiple problems facing our water system have reached a critical point in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The water supplies for more than 25 million residents in the Bay Area, Central, and Southern California pass through the Delta before being delivered to homes and businesses. The Delta supplies water to more than 2.5 million acres of productive farmland. It’s also the largest natural estuary on the West Coast, home to hundreds of species of fish and wildlife. But the Delta has a host of environmental and infrastructure problems that threaten the water supply for homes, farms, businesses, fisheries and natural resources. Investments are needed to repair the Delta’s ecosystem and to fortify hundreds of miles of levees against earthquakes and floods. |
| 3. Environment at Risk. Environmental problems are closely intertwined with the state’s water supply challenges. Our water supply and watersheds are threatened because of contamination and changes in natural water flows. Contaminated runoff spills into our rivers, streams, beaches and bays. Fish, including salmon, are facing the immediate threat of extinction -- leading to court-ordered reductions in water deliveries and the threat of even more cut backs. |
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The Consequences of Inaction Would Be Severe |
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California’s water crisis has gone largely unaddressed for decades, and inaction is already posing critical problems for our water supplies, farmers, environment, businesses and our economy. Failure to act now to begin addressing our water crisis will mean: |
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| 1. Shortages Of Water For Families, Farms And Businesses. Water is the lifeblood of our quality of life and our economy. According to the Association of California Water Agencies, many water agencies have been forced to impose mandatory rationing on homes and businesses. Failure to address our water supply crisis could lead to more rationing and inadequate supplies. |
3. Damage To The Environment And Threats To Public Health. Changes to natural water flows, as well as contamination from mercury, ammonia and other harmful pollutants, are already harming natural habitats in our rivers, lakes and streams. Experts warn that the collapse of species and habitats in the Delta region will take place unless action is taken. And deteriorating water systems pose threats to our drinking water and health. |
| 2. Severe Damage To California’s Economy. Severe cuts in water have forced many farmers to stop planting or plow under their crops - causing farm losses estimated at more than $3 billion in 2009. Further water supply shortages will have a rippling effect throughout the economy, harming businesses and jobs. |
4. Risk Of Catastrophic Failure Of Our Levees And Other Water Delivery Infrastructure. Without improvements, an earthquake or flood could destroy Delta levees and cut off water supplies for 25 million Californians for up to two years. The Public Policy Institute of California estimated that this type of catastrophic failure would cost our economy $40 billion. |
2010 Water Bond: A Comprehensive Approach to Address California’s Water Crisis |
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A broad coalition of environmental leaders, business and labor, farmers and water agencies are supporting The Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2010, a bond measure on California’s November 2010 ballot. Passing this measure will authorize long-term investments that will begin reversing decades of neglect and damage to our water system. If passed, the measure would: |
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| • Create More Reliable Water Supplies by improving the infrastructure that stores and delivers water. | • Increased Local Water Supplies through funding of local and regional projects to clean up local water sources and reduce dependence on water brought in from other regions by funding advanced treatment technologies to promote water recycling and clean up projects. |
| •Clean up Drinking Water Sources by funding emergency actions to clean up water supplies in at-risk areas, remediate groundwater contamination and protect rivers, lakes and streams that supply our drinking water. | • Restore the Delta by fortifying hundreds of miles of levees and restoring the Delta ecosystem and habitats. The measure will help protect the Delta and prevent a full-fledge collapse of its infrastructure and natural environment. |
| • Protect & Restore the Environment by providing vitally needed ecosystem restoration including reviving threatened fish populations, investing in conservation and watershed protections and cleaning up of rivers, lakes, streams, beaches and the coast. | • Enhance Conservation by funding local water agency conservation efforts to reduce water usage and enhance water-use efficiency. |
Strong Fiscal Accountability Requirements and Taxpayer Protections:
• The State Auditor would be required to annually audit all water bond expenditures.
• Administrative costs would be limited to 5 percent.
• The bonds will be sold slowly, over time, as our economy and state budget improve, with no more than $5.57 billion sold before July 1, 2015 – spreading out debt payments from the State’s General Fund.
• The bond was carefully crafted to ensure every region of the state receives its fair share of funding.
• Projects funded by the bond will also leverage billions more in local matching funds and federal dollars to improve water quality and supply.
Paid for by Alliance for Clean Water and Jobs, sponsored and major funding by Conservation Action Fund and
California Alliance for Jobs - ID # 1317616 - (818) 760-2121
