to protect our water supply.
We can’t afford to wait until disaster strikes
About Us
 Established in 1984
 Nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to
education & outreach on water issues
 Regional leader on water policy
 Spans Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino,
Imperial, Riverside, Ventura & Kern Counties
 Diverse membership representing water, business, local
government, agriculture & labor
 Regional base; statewide influence
Sacramento-San
Joaquin Delta:
California’s Water
Epicenter
Distribution Center for California’s
Water Supply
Levees for
channeling flows
Irrigation water
for millions of
acres of prime
farmland
Pumps for
moving water to
cities and farms
Drinking water
for 25 million
Californians
Clean water for
businesses and
industries
statewide
A Threatened Natural Resource
Largest estuary
on the West
Coast
95% of original
wetlands erased
by levees
Invasive species
plaguing the
estuary
Home to 750
species of
wildlife and
plants
Fragile native
fish populations
A Vulnerable & Incomplete System
 Past generations invested in a network of dams,
aqueducts and pumps to move water around the state
 100-year-old man-made levee system is old and fragile
 Much of the land has subsided below sea level
 Future sea level rise and changing weather patterns will
put greater pressure on the levees
Due to 50 years of
statewide political
conflicts, forced to rely
on a vulnerable system
Bay Area, Los Angeles,
San Joaquin Valley,
Inland Empire, San
Diego and Central Coast
all depend on this critical
lifeline.
U.S. Geological Survey
predicts Bay Area has a
63% chance
of experiencing
a major earthquake
in the next 30 years
“Should the Delta levees
fail,
the consequences are likely to
be sudden and catastrophic
for local residents, landowners,
Delta species, and water exporters.”
-Public Policy Institute of California
A retrofit of the
existing system
that secures it
from risk of
flood,
earthquake and
sea level rise in
the Delta is the
most sensible
approach
*Map is a general representation.
Investing In The Seismic Retrofit
 Project is prudent, affordable & urgently needed
 Cost of the water conveyance project would be
covered by public water agencies
 ~$14 billion
 Project would be financed over many years
 No state general fund dollars involved
 Broader funding sources, including potentially
voter approved bonds, would pay for
environmental improvements
An Investment Long Overdue
$$$
¢
Financial Impact on LA County Cities
 MWD would pay about 25% of $14 billion spread
over a customer base of 20 million
 Financed with State Water Project Revenue Bonds
over the next 15 years
 Would result in an residential monthly water bill going
up about $5 per month by 2025
“…The Bay
Delta Conservation Plan
has long seemed to me to be the best hope
for ‘peace on the river’: water supply reliability and
restoration of the ecosystem.”
-U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein
For more information:
Southern California Water Committee
www.socalwater.org
State Water Contractors
www.swc.org
Bay Delta Conservation Plan
www.baydeltaconservationplan.com