Author: Lily Rowen
Last Tuesday California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a historic package of five bills that overhauled the state’s handling of water. The bills aim to better conserve the Sacramento Delta, reduce water use by 20 percent by 2020 and put an $11.1 billion bond on the ballot for voters next November.
“Water is the lifeblood of everything we do in California,” said Governor Schwarzenegger in a public statement following the passage of the bill by the state Senate. “Without clean, reliable water, we cannot build, we cannot grow and we cannot prosper . . . I am so proud that the legislature, Democrats and Republicans, came together and tackled one of the most complicated issues in our state’s history.”
Although the outdated state-wide water system, which was last updated in the 1960s, has been failing the state’s needs for years now, the three-year drought in the south, which ended this February, left farmers struggling to survive economically and was the main catalyst for the legislature’s action.
On Oct. 11, Governor Schwarzenegger brought the issue to the forefront of Californians’ minds when he issued a proclamation that called for the state legislature to meet in an emergency session to begin work on fixing the state’s water worries.
According to Bettina Boxall, a Los Angeles Times reporter who has covered the water legislation, it is still too early to tell how much money will go to L.A. or southern California. In an e-mail interview, she said, “There are some specific earmarks that you can add up, but there are also large pots of money for recycling, etc. that will benefit So. Calif. But since that is not earmarked, it’s impossible to know precisely how much will wind up here.”
If the legislation proves to be successful, residents of east Los Angeles, including those at Occidental, should expect to see lower water bills and better service. “The effect on Oxy will be the same as that for all water customers – that is, infrastructure improvements, lower long run maintenance and operating costs and increase[d] customer satisfaction,” said Director of Facilities Michael Stephens.
The success of the new legislation also depends on honest regulation of state water funds and the cooperation of individual homeowners and large and small businesses, schools and other public buildings. “The exact impact of the bill will depend on how local agencies implement the requirement to cut water use by 20 percent in urban areas,” said Director of the Center for Food and Justice and the Policy Director for the Urban and Environmental Policy Institute Mark Vallianatos.
Stephens said the school needs to now upgrade its water infrastructure. “Last month, for example, a steam pipe blew out on the south side of the Samuelson Pavilion and sent a geyser 80 feet into the air – it will cost $40,000 to repair.”
Vallianatos also said Oxy should view the bill’s passage as a sign that it is time to change. “The College should take the opportunity to install lower water fixtures inside buildings, reinvision the landscaping outside to include more low water and native plants and investigate systems that capture rainwater and greywater for use in irrigation.”
This article has been archived, for more requests please contact us via the support system.
