Gov. Gavin Newsom released his second major water plan on Thursday. Rather than a long, detailed list of actions like his 2020 Water Resilience Portfolio, the water supply strategy sets broad investment goals for expanding the supply.
Among those is to create four million acre-feet of water storage for the state. The plan doubles down on existing efforts to streamline permits for above-ground projects already in the pipeline, such as Proposition 1 projects under review at the Water Commission and the expansion of San Luis Reservoir by 135,000 acre-feet. More supply would come from groundwater recharge, setting a target of absorbing 500,000 acre-feet annually.
The strategy outlines goals for recycling and reusing 800,000 acre-feet of water per year while conserving enough to save another 500,000 acre-feet. Investing in stormwater capture and desalination plants are also priorities.
Climate change and the drought are driving the plan, with the administration expecting the overall supply to drop as much as 10% by 2040.
Western Growers President and CEO Dave Puglia immediately applauded the announcement, noting that farms are in distress, local economies are at risk and this plan delivers optimism.
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“This is clearly not just nibbling around the edges,” said Puglia.
California Citrus Mutual President and CEO Casey Creamer viewed it as an indication the governor "is clearly working towards a comprehensive strategy."
The Almond Alliance also stands behind Newsom in providing water supply certainty, and the governor drew praise from several members of the State Board of Food and Agriculture and the Agriculture Council of California. The Northern California Water Association viewed the strategy as an important step in modernizing the state’s water infrastructure and more holistically managing the system.
