Little Hoover Commission Urges New Structure for State Water Management

The Little Hoover Commission issued a report last week urging the governor and the Legislature to restructure the state’s water management and planning approach. The report, “Managing for Change: Modernizing California’s Water Governance,” calls for separating the state’s management and planning functions from the operation of the State Water Project.

According to the report, the state’s current water management and planning structure, in place since 1969, is “obsolete and leaves the state ill-prepared to handle unpredictable precipitation, growing population and the need to better balance environmental needs with urban and agricultural demand.” The report notes that the Department of Water Resources’ mission of operating the SWP “is at odds with its separate mission of managing existing water resources and planning for future water needs.”

The commission recommends creating a new Department of Water Management as the state’s main organization for managing water resources and planning for future needs, including implementing strategies to expand supply and reduce demand through conservation and water use efficiency. Operation of the SWP, it recommends, should be moved to a separate, independent state-owned water authority.

The report is available here.