ACWA e-News for September 1, 2010

ACWA-sponsored legislation addressing penalties for wastewater discharge reporting was sent to the governor while a strongly opposed bill on water rights died on the Assembly floor as the legislative session came to an end Tuesday night.

Lawmakers also passed a handful of bills on local government compensation, including a measure prohibiting automatic raises exceeding cost-of-living adjustments for specified local officials. The bills emerged in the wake of salary abuses reported in the city of Bell.

The Delta Stewardship Council adopted an Interim Plan Aug. 27 to guide state and local agency planning and management efforts in the Delta until the council completes a final Delta Plan.

The state Senate confirmed four appointees to the Delta Stewardship Council on the final day of the legislative session.

The council is charged with creating a plan to address water supply issues and ensure conservation of the Delta’s troubled ecosystem. It was established as part of the comprehensive water package enacted by the Legislature in November 2009.

The Bureau of Reclamation has awarded more than $1 million to local water agencies for projects aimed at conserving water and improving water management.

More than $600,000 in federal funds was awarded through the Water Conservation Field Service Grants Program. With the combined local cost-share contribution, more than $1.6 million in water management improvements will be implemented within two years. The Bureau estimates that these projects will either conserve or better manage more than 3 million acre-feet of water per year.

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.

Nominations and entries for ACWA’s Emissary Award and Theodore Roosevelt Award are now being accepted. The deadline to submit application materials is Oct. 1.

ACWA’s Emissary Award was established in 2006 and recognizes individual ACWA member volunteers who have made remarkable and visible contributions to the enhancement, protection or development of water resources in California by participating in, supporting and advancing ACWA's goals. Nomination forms may be downloaded here.