Lawmakers Pressured To Act On Water Bond

California lawmakers are debating whether to put a scaled-down water bond on the November ballot. A rally at the Capitol today demonstrated the increasing pressure on the legislature as it wades through a number of bond proposals.

Bryce Lundberg is a rice farmer and a member of the North State Water Alliance. His group has some criteria they’d like to see included in a bond.

“We believe that there are two overarching elements that must be in a water bond," he says. "First, investments that increase California’s water supply. And, second, operational certainty for managing future water supplies.”

The Alliance wants a water bond to include money for additional storage, environmental protections and improved urban water management.

An $11 billion bond is slated for the November ballot, but a recent poll suggested voters aren’t likely to approve the measure. Lawmakers are now considering replacing it with a smaller bond, though one that would still run into the billions of dollars. Several new proposals are pending in the legislature.