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ICYMI: Senator Dave Cogdill - A Necessary $9 Billion Water System Investment

A Necessary $9 Billion Water System Investment

As published in the Modesto Bee 

By Senator Dave Cogdill

As a businessman, former local government official and especially as a native Californian, I have come to understand the importance of water.

Without water, much of our state would be an uninhabitable desert; with water, California is dynamic, diverse and prosperous. The precarious nature of our water system today makes it imperative that we do something to ensure our livelihoods.

I am proud to author the governor's water infrastructure proposal, introduced in the legislative special session he called in response to California's water crisis. It is a $9 billion comprehensive plan for the future of California's precious water. It is one of two bills, the other of which will spur early actions to begin restoring the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta immediately.

Together, these bills map out a solid approach for fixing California's broken water system, addressing the state's long-term needs through investments in storage both above and below ground, delta restoration and local projects. This plan is endorsed by the state's water experts, most of the state's water districts and the business community.

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This plan recognizes that integrated regional water management will help meet regional needs and provides a match for local funds. Regions must develop a more diversified mix of water management strategies, including conservation, recycling, storage and desalination projects to qualify. These projects will help develop a reliable water system.

Inaction has a price.

The Department of Water Resources estimates that the 1976-77 drought cost California almost $7 billion. That one-year drought cost nearly as much as we're proposing to spend upgrading our system to sustain generations to come. This plan will help keep California's system flexible and working, protecting the state from economic devastation regardless of the weather.

The need is clear. California's population is anticipated to rise by 30 percent in the next 20 years, and water use is predicted to increase dramatically. Anticipated changes in hydrology mean we must change the way we manage water to protect against floods and drought.

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This is the right plan and the right time to act.

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Cogdill, R-Modesto, represents the 14th Senate District, which includes parts of Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties and all of Tuolumne and Mariposa counties.

Entire Article: http://www.modbee.com/opinion/community/v-print/story/78201.html