Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot on Wednesday elaborated on the top 10 priorities for the finalized Water Resilience Portfolio over the next two and a half years of the administration. At the summer conference for the Association of California Water Agencies, Crowfoot said the portfolio must be a multi-decadal effort to be successful.
One goal is to supply reliable water for agriculture and other communities by accelerating “smart” storage projects like the Sites Reservoir or groundwater storage. The 2014 Prop. 1 water bond delivered $2 billion for eight storage projects, but much of that money has yet to be delivered, delaying development. Crowfoot said Portfolio Director Nancy Vogel has been tasked with “getting these online.”
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On the stalled voluntary agreement negotiations for Delta flows, Crowfoot said he is “eager” to work with the parties not currently wrapped up in the many lawsuits related the federal biological opinions. He reiterated the administration hopes to settle its own lawsuit soon and restart negotiations with the rest of the parties.
CDFA's Healthy Soils Program was also a top priority, for its water retention benefits, as well as floodplain restoration, constructing a Delta tunnel, restoring the Salton Sea, removing Klamath dams and establishing a multi-agency support team for implementing the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
