All cheer water deal

California farm interests gave positive reactions to historic water legislation approved this week by the Legislature. Legislation passed Wednesday, Nov. 4, consisted of five bills, including an infrastructure bond for $11.1 billion to pay for a wide variety of water management, conservation and storage projects. The package also includes the creation of a new governing panel to oversee the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and gives the state the authority to monitor groundwater levels. Legislators want to require California cities to use 20 percent less water by 2020, although large urban areas such as Los Angeles and San Francisco would not have to meet such a high threshold because per capita water use is lower than other parts of the state. It was described as the biggest achievement in California water politics since voters approved the State Water Project in 1960. Legislators have been wrangling over solutions to the state's growing water woes for years. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was expected to sign the five-bill package, which he called a wise investment in the state's future...read more