A proposed ballot measure would force the state to dedicate 2% of the general fund to building more water storage for California’s urban areas and farms.
The Water Infrastructure Funding Act of 2022 would require the transfer of the funds into a trust account every year until the projects funded by the account have created an additional 5 million acre-feet of additional water supply that can be reliably delivered to Californians every year thereafter.
For perspective, agriculture in California uses about 31 million acre-feet of water annually and urban areas use about 8 million acre-feet per year, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office. The LAO calculates that an additional 5 million acre-feet per year for farms and cities would be an increase in water supply of about 13% compared to current annual water use.
The money is restricted to projects that add water supply for urban areas and agriculture. It could be spent on groundwater cleanup and storage, storm water capture and storage, water recycling, surface reservoirs, desalination, and water conveyance projects such as canals and pipes.
The measure follows widespread frustration after voters approved Proposition 1 in 2014, providing $2.7 billion for water storage projects, but with a catch. Proposed projects did not qualify for funding unless the appointed nine-member California Water Commission scored the projects as providing a sufficient amount of five public benefits: ecosystem benefits, water quality, flood control, emergency response and recreation. Water supply was not considered a public benefit.
The new initiative specifically prohibits the commission from “utilizing or developing any beneficial use rating when allocating funding from the Trust Account.”
Environmental reviews would be streamlined under the measure, a provision that could raise opposition from environmental groups, but projects would be required to pay workers the “prevailing wage” and comply with other union-friendly rules, so the initiative may win support from labor unions.
Wet years and dry years are features of California’s normal climate. If the initiative qualifies for the November 2022 ballot, voters will have the opportunity to decide if the taxes they already pay should fund water storage that will actually be built.
