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Members of the California Bay-Delta Authority got a preliminary look at a proposed new 10-year action plan to refocus the CALFED Program and pursue a new approach to addressing the Delta.
Authority Director Joe Grindstaff said the plan would focus CALFED resources on Delta-related programs while shifting activities associated with integrated regional planning to other agencies.
Delta-focused programs include ecosystem restoration, the Environmental Water Account, surface storage, water conservation, Delta-related water quality, conveyance projects such as the South Delta Improvements Program, Delta levees, science and interagency coordination.
Elements that would potentially be shifted include water recycling, desalination, groundwater storage, some non-Delta conveyance projects, water transfers, watersheds and water quality as it relates to new treatment technology.
Grindstaff said the plan, which will go before the Authority for approval in December, also calls for development of a new comprehensive vision for the Delta. The effort would not be driven by the Authority but would incorporate the needs of water users, agriculture, the environment, transportation, infrastructure, flood control and land-use agencies. The work would be done by a group convened by the Governor, with a target date for completion by December 2006.
Authority members also got a preview of the results of a performance review by the Department of Finance. The draft report, to be available on the Authority’s Web site today, found the CALFED Program is not meeting the statutory definition for balanced implementation. It also points to schedule delays and numerous weaknesses in tracking and evaluating progress within various program areas.
The report by the Department of Finance is part of a three-tiered independent review ordered earlier this year by Governor Schwarzenegger. The Little Hoover Commission, which is wrapping up a separate review of CALFED governance issues, will discuss its findings and recommendations on November 17.
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