Governor Signs $170-Million Water Bill

Declaring that California “must guarantee reliable supplies of top-quality water to every region of the state,” Gov. George Deukmejian on Saturday signed into law a $170-million bill to improve Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta levees and to upgrade water quality in other areas.

“Mark Twain once said that in California whiskey’s for drinking and water’s for fighting about,” Deukmejian said during his regular weekly radio address, alluding to the state’s long history of battles over allocation of its water supplies.

Sponsored by Sen. Daniel E. Boatwright (D-Concord), the 10-year water law, effective immediately, had been approved by the Senate and the Assembly on 32-2 and 67-2 votes, respectively.

Rare Legislation

The plan was the first major water bill to be passed by the lawmakers in the last eight years.

In brief, it calls for spending $120 million to rehabilitate 1,100 miles of decrepit delta levees, and $50 million to improve water quality, fisheries and wildlife in the delta, San Francisco Bay, Suisun Marsh, and the Salton Sea.

The statute also authorizes a program of special delta flood control projects to be conducted by the Department of Water Resources.

In announcing his signing of the bill, Deukmejian took note of the decades of bitter Capitol dispute over exporting more Northern California water to Southern California.

Voters Reject Plan

A law calling for construction of a Peripheral Canal around the delta was rejected by the voters in 1982, and Deukmejian lost a modified version of that plan in the Legislature in 1984.

One reason the Boatwright bill received such strong bipartisan backing was that it neither authorizes nor prohibits expanded water development projects.

In his radio address, the governor expressed cautious optimism about the chances of future water development, calling the new law “another step” in that direction.

“We’re building for the future,” Deukmejian said. “Step-by-step, we’re addressing the concerns of people who live in areas where our water comes from--assuring their water rights, restoring fisheries and guarding against flood damage.

‘Flexible Water Policy’

“Step-by-step, we’re able to develop a sound and flexible water policy that responds to the new laws, court decisions and agreements that take effect each year.”

The governor also used the speech to promise that he will sign a $5.3-billion, record-high package of school, highway, prison, clean water and other bond issues to be placed before the voters on the June and November election ballots.

The package of bond measures was sent to the governor’s desk by the Legislature Thursday after weeks of delay caused by partisan squabbling.