| Issue Statements - Accomplishments |
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The CALFED Bay-Delta Authorization Act
The CALFED Bay-Delta Authorization Act authorized $395 million for a balanced program to increase California's water supply, reliability and quality and help restore sensitive water ecosystems. It was an historic step – the culmination of more than a decade worth of hard work, determination, and compromise.
The landmark legislation was based on a compromise bill I sponsored with my colleague Senator Barbara Boxer, along with New Mexico Senators Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman.
The CALFED law was designed to ensure that California will be able to meet its water needs in a balanced manner – for farmers, for cities, and for the environment. And it enabled the State to build the storage that is necessary, ensure water quality, and protect the environment.
Specifically, the law:
- Restores environmentally significant areas of the State, including the San Francisco Bay-Delta: Comprising more than 600 program elements including water purchases to improve river habitat, removal of dams that are no longer necessary and hinder fish migration, restoration of streams, and restoration of significant land habitat.
- Provides necessary water infrastructure to enable California to continue to lead the nation in economic growth and agriculture production: Including screens to protect fish, levee improvements to protect water quality and ensure beneficial land use, through-Delta conveyance importance, and additional ground and off-stream surface water storage.
- Ensures a safe, reliable source of drinking water for California’s growing population. Including smarter use of water supplies and facilities to reduce environmental impact of water exports
This approach balances the needs of agricultural, urban and environmental interests and helps to address the needs of the State’s aging water infrastructure.
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