The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

Child drinking from a water fountain. Photo © Jamie Wilson

California’s leaders have reached consensus on a solution to address the state’s water crisis. Comprising years of research and discussion, these six pieces of legislation represent the most ambitious, comprehensive approach to state water management in more than a quarter of a century.

This monumental water package establishes co-equal goals to both increase water supply reliability for California and restore the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, the largest estuary on the west coast and the heart of California’s water-delivery system. It also calls for a new approach for the ongoing management and stewardship of the Delta.

In addition, the funding proposal, which must be passed by California voters before it is approved, will direct more than $3.2 billion toward environmental conservation and restoration projects throughout the state, of which $1.5 billion will be used to restore the health of the Delta.

“With the impacts of climate change, a rapidly growing population and a Delta ecosystem on the brink of collapse, this move couldn’t have come at a more critical time,” explains Leo Winternitz, Delta project director for the Conservancy.

The Nature Conservancy commends the legislature for seizing this historic opportunity to better manage the state’s water resources and jointly agreeing that the status quo in the Delta, which threatens the ability for all Californians to thrive, must end.