A bold new comprehensive approach is now in place to address the crisis in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, improve water management statewide and invest in water reliability throughout California with Governor Schwarzenegger’s signing of five landmark bills that were approved by the State Legislature on November 4, 2009.
This is a tremendous moment in California water history. The Legislature’s approval of this sweeping, bipartisan overhaul of the state’s water system reflects an unparalleled effort to move California into a new era of water reliability that will benefit the state’s residents and economy for generations to come.
The cornerstone of the comprehensive water package is the restoration of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ecosystem. The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, where the rivers of the western Sierra Nevada merge before heading into San Francisco Bay, is the hub of California's water system.
About 30 percent of Southern California's water supply moves across the Delta to the aqueduct system of the State Water Project.
The Delta's declining ecosystem, caused by a number of factors, has led to historic restrictions in water supply deliveries to Southern California. The result is a pressing need to both improve the Delta environment and improve the water systems that help sustain the state economy. ----Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
