Source Watershed Protection Progresses in CA Senate

Assembly Bill 2480 passed the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water! This is another step forward in our efforts to declare source watersheds as integral parts of California’s water infrastructure, ensuring their conservation and restoration. The bill already passed the assembly last month.

Learn more about AB 2480 and read the recent support letter below. Thanks to all of the organizations who have signed on! Together, we can protect California’s vital water sources.

AB 2480 Support Letter to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water

June 21, 2016

Senator Fran Pavley, Chair
Natural Resources and Water Committee
State Capitol, Room 5035
Sacramento, CA 95814

 RE: AB 2480 (Bloom) – Source Watersheds are Green Infrastructure

Dear Senator Pavley,

We write to express our support for AB 2480, which establishes in state policy that source watersheds are an essential and integral part of our water infrastructure. Water does not simply materialize in reservoirs – the watersheds that gather, filter, and deliver water to our built “grey” infrastructure are an essential part of the water system.

AB 2480 further finds that restoring and conserving the watersheds that supply the State Water Project – the backbone of California’s water infrastructure – is of particular importance to improving water security and reliability. This is a mainstream idea – indeed last year the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) released a framework for Improving the Resiliency of California’s Headwaters which recognized the necessity of better management and conservation of source watersheds. The framework recommended that “California needs to implement strategies that emphasize the resiliency and sustainability of California’s headwaters.” AWCA also included the principle that “the natural infrastructure of the headwaters and the engineered water infrastructure throughout the State are too often considered unrelated and instead should be managed in an integrated manner.” AB 2480 helps accomplish just that.

Recognizing the importance of these watersheds, AB 2480 declares it to be state policy that: “…the maintenance and repair of these watersheds and associated projects shall receive financing consideration on the same basis with other water collection and treatment infrastructure.” Developing new financing approaches is one of the ten planks in the Brown Administration’s Water Action Plan.

Clarifying that source watersheds are infrastructure, and eligible for financing like other water infrastructure, opens up new financing mechanisms for accomplishing the important watershed restoration and conservation activities outlined in the bill. As noted during the Senate Natural Resource and Water oversight hearing on Chronically Underfunded Water Needs (March 8, 2016) this is a critical focus area; AB 2480 provides the foundation for new financing and infrastructure approaches to be brought to bear on source watersheds.

There is virtually unanimous recognition that our source watersheds are absolutely critical to our water security and infrastructure, and that many are in impaired and deteriorating condition. Addressing these issues will require the state to fully embrace the importance of these watersheds to our water security, and approaching the challenges with 21st-century approaches to financing and project management. AB 2480 is an important step in that direction by articulating state policy on the role of source watersheds in water infrastructure.

We urge your support for AB 2480.

Regards,

Dr. Elizabeth Dougherty
Director
Wholly H2O

Soapy Mulholland
President and CEO
Sequoia Riverlands Trust

Jena Price
Legislative Affairs Manager
California League of Conservation Voters

Geoffrey McQuilkin
Executive Director
Mono Lake Committee

Chuck Mills
Director of Public Policy and Grants
California ReLeaf

Curtis Knight
Executive Director
California Trout