Delta residents know what's best for the Delta: No canal

By Alyson Huber

I have fond memories of growing up on the Delta. We lived in a trailer park at Tower Park Marina, right on Little Potato Slough. Having the Delta in my backyard as a child makes me especially protective of its future for the next generation.

A new vision is needed for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta — one that includes the people of the Delta. Today, the Delta is home to more than five million Californians, including many who rely on the Delta to support their jobs and the local economy. Those that live within the five Delta counties must be part of the public policy process that determines what happens to the local water supply.

Right now, a package of water proposals is being crafted in the Capitol and decisions are being made that will dramatically impact the Delta region. The most troubling piece of the proposals: Gov. Schwarzenegger's new "peripheral canal" that would take existing water from the Sacramento River and move it around the Delta to Southern California. His plan would hurt our local communities, cost our state billions of dollars and not produce one drop of water. This measure is being backed primarily by Southern California Water Agencies.

In 1982, a proposal to build a peripheral canal was overwhelmingly defeated by California voters. Since then, the cost to construct the canal has increased to more than $20 billion. Building a canal would take 10 to 15 years and, when completed, it would be 50 miles long — longer than the Panama Canal!

In addition to the canal, current proposals include creating a new council of gubernatorial appointees to oversee the Delta — without Delta representatives. This new bureaucracy would decide whether to approve a peripheral canal, and would set fees for water users throughout the state. There would be no legislative oversight, limited input from the public and no vote of the people on whether or not to build the canal.

Last month, I joined with local leaders, farmers, environmental groups and businesses to fight this set of water policy proposals in the State Assembly. We won, but Gov. Schwarzenegger is still pushing his plan to build the canal and take our water.

Nothing in the past or current proposals reflects a genuine effort to take into account the concerns of the Delta farmers, fishermen, environmentalists and other residents of the region. Delta residents want a real solution to the water crisis, one that includes treating the Delta residents as partners in the solution.

There is no doubt the state is facing a water crisis and the debate over how to resolve it started long ago. Many of you have fought hard to ensure the Delta voice is heard, but the fight is not over yet.

Our residents cannot be ignored while decisions are made that could drastically affect the region.

We need to look for programs and policies that address the entire system of water use, including supply, delivery, maintenance, treatment and conservation to reduce overall costs to the ratepayer and conserve our environmental resources. This is why it is so critical that local stakeholders be entrusted to manage the natural resources found in their own backyards. We know the Delta's needs and value its health because it is uniquely tied to our everyday lives.

And we know that building a $20 billion canal that sends our water to Los Angeles won't improve our water supply.

To fight for the protection of the Delta, please attend a public hearing at the Capitol on Monday at 9 a.m. in Room 4202. More information is available at www.asm.ca.gov/huber or by calling (916) 319-2010.

Democrat Alyson Huber represents Elk Grove in the 10th Assembly District. This opinion piece originally appeared in the Lodi Sentinel News