August 21, 2008

Chamber Connection

Water: pay now… or pay later

By Pat Dando
Special to the Times

Today, we are faced with the most significant water crisis in our history. After two years of drought and the driest spring in recorded history, water reserves are extremely low and we would not be able to meet public demand during a major disruption to the state’s water delivery system, such as an earthquake or levee breach.

Earlier this summer, Gov. Schwarzen-egger signed an executive order proclaiming a statewide drought. Add to that court-ordered pumping restrictions on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which delivers water from the Sierra snow pack to nearly 23 million Californians, and we now find ourselves at a crossroads. In an effort to protect our future water supply—and the future of Silicon Valley—we must act now, because a reliable supply of high quality water and flood protection is essential for us to continue to attract businesses to this area.

Thanks to a 20-year planning and design effort by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water), the Upper Guadalupe River Flood Protection Project is now in the final phase of restoring the entire Guadalupe River system. This will protect over 2,310 acres of land from future flooding, including approximately 7,500 homes, schools and businesses, covering 5.7 miles of the upper Guadalupe River, from Interstate 280 in the north to Blossom Hill Road in the south.

On a grander scale, the governor’s proposed water bond—The Safe, Clean, Reliable, Drinking Water Supply Act of 2008—is a step in the right direction, and we applaud his bi-partisan compromise plan with Sen. Dianne Feinstein to update California’s aging water system. This is a critical step toward insuring adequate, safe and clean water, especially as Silicon Valley relies on the Delta for more than 50 percent of its water supply.

Because the need to resolve this crisis before disaster strikes is urgent, the governor and Sen. Feinstein aim to present this proposal to voters in November.

However, placing a bond measure on the November ballot will require approval by two-thirds vote of the state legislature and now is the time for both houses to set aside their differences in order to secure California’s future water resources.

As proposed, the $9.3 billion bond act includes the following measures:

- Increased water storage to ensure that the state’s water supply is more reliable year-to-year;

- Improved capture of excess water in wet years to use in dry years;

- Improved water conveyance to reduce water shortages;

- Restored Delta ecosystem to allow California to take control of its own water systems; and,

- Increased conservation and tools to use water more efficiently.

This bond act will fund a comprehensive solution to California’s chronic water crisis and the Chamber has long supported bonds that improve current water supply; provide new storage, conveyance and conservation incentives; and protect the Delta in order to guarantee sufficient water resources for the future growth of California. We cannot afford to continue to gamble with the Delta’s precious water resources. Any further delay in rebuilding its fragile infrastructure may jeopardize our ability to meet future water needs, and that will adversely impact the critical growth of jobs and housing in our urban centers.

Because the vote this fall on The Safe, Clean, Reliable, Drinking Water Supply Act of 2008 will affect all of us and the water we will need in the future, I urge you to support this bond act. Your vote on an issue this critical will make or break the future of our economy.

Pat Dando is President/CEO of the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce.