From the California Water Commission:
As part of the California Water Commission’s work assessing a state role in financing conveyance projects, Commission staff will present a draft white paper containing preliminary findings and conclusions for Commission discussion at the May 19, 2021, meeting.
As directed by the Water Resilience Portfolio, the Commission assessed a state role in financing conveyance projects to meet the needs of a changing climate. The Commission hosted expert presentations at Commission meetings and regional public workshops, and used the information gathered from experts and public stakeholders to inform a white paper describing key issues and findings and conclusions for state policymakers to consider as they weigh the financing options for water conveyance infrastructure.
In developing its findings and conclusions, the Commission considered:
- The characteristics of resilient conveyance and how a conveyance project demonstrably contributes to climate resilience.
- The public benefits associated with conveyance projects, which ones the state may want to fund, and how the state might value those benefits.
- Financing mechanisms that project proponents may use to help advance conveyance projects that help meet needs in a changing climate.
Commission staff will incorporate feedback received from the Commission and the public to produce a final draft of the white paper that will be presented to the Commission at the June meeting for approval. The paper focuses on conveyance other than the pending proposal to improve State Water Project conveyance through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
The nine-member California Water Commission uses its public forum to explore water management issues from multiple perspectives and to formulate recommendations to advise the director of the California Department of Water Resources, and as appropriate, the California Natural Resources Agency, the Governor and Legislature on ways to improve water planning and management in response to California’s changing hydrology. For more information regarding the California Water Commission visit cwc.ca.gov.
