The Region : Water Quality Bill Advances
A bill to create a new water quality authority to oversee the cleanup of severe ground-water pollution in the San Gabriel Valley passed the state Senate by a 21-4 vote last week.
The proposal, which will be considered by the Assembly this summer, would create a five-member board with the power to make assessments to pay for the cleanup based on water-pumping rights.
Assessments of up to $40 per acre-foot would likely be passed on to consumers.
Proponents of the bill, sponsored by Sen. Newton Russell (R-Glendale), have said the assessment would translate into about $2 per month per customer.
Sen. Art Torres (D-Los Angeles), who sponsored a similar but unsuccessful bill last year, dissented in Thursday’s vote, complaining that the Russell bill means ordinary water customers will end up paying for the mistakes of polluters.
If the bill becomes law, the new board would supersede the 11-member Main San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority, which has a similar purpose but is not empowered to levy assessments.
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