California canals damaged by sinking soil, groundwater pumping. New bills aim to help
Democratic congressman from Fresno introduced two pieces of legislation that aim to repair aging canals and water infrastructure in California that’s been damaged by sinking ground levels – called subsidence, caused by groundwater pumping.
“The canals on the eastside and the westside are experiencing dramatic subsidence and therefore their capacity to move water has greatly diminished,” said Rep. Jim Costa during a news conference Monday before the backdrop of the central San Joaquin Valley’s Friant Dam, just outside Fresno.
“What does my legislation do? It provides an authorization of $400 million for repairs to the California Aqueduct and the Delta-Mendota Canal on the westside.”
Additionally, Costa said, “State and local water users will be asked to contribute their fair share to match these federal dollars.”
The bills are the Conveyance Capacity Correction Act, introduced by Costa, and the Western Water Storage Infrastructure Act, introduced by Cox. The second “would provide additional funding for surface storage, groundwater storage, and the supporting conveyance facilities” with $800 million between fiscal years 2020 and 2024.
When asked where that storage would be, Cox said they are taking things “step by step” for now. Costa pointed to these potential locations, the San Luis Reservoir, Los Vaqueros Reservoir, and the Sites Reservoir, north of the Delta. Costa noted that “furthest along is the Sites Reservoir. It has both state and federal money.”
Costa described the new bills as one of many “tools in the toolbox” to address California water issues. Those tools include new state laws to manage groundwater.
“We hope we can get it signed into law before the end of this year,” Costa said, “and that money can be appropriated in the next fiscal year, beginning Oct. 1.”
Other recent water bills
Other legislative work to bolster water infrastructure was also highlighted.
Cox talked about introducing two other bills over the past year, co-sponsored by Costa. They include the Move Water Now Act (HR-5316) in December, which aims to provide $200 million to repair the Friant-Kern Canal and $200 million for San Joaquin River restoration projects, and last summer’s Disadvantaged Community Drinking Water Assistance Act (HR-5347) to create a $100 million grant program to fill in gaps not covered by existing drinking water grant programs.
Cox said those two bills were heard last week in the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife. The next step is getting them passed out of the committee.
“I’m very optimistic this will happen in the very near future,” Cox said.
Cox said he and Costa secured $150 million this fiscal year for water storage and conveyance through the appropriations process.
Costa also gave a shout-out to California Senator Melissa Hurtado, D-Sanger, for introducing SB-559 that looks to bring $400 million to restore the capacity of the Friant-Kern Canal.
California canals in need
Aging water infrastructure that stands to benefit from these bills:
- The 444-mile California Aqueduct stretches from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to Southern California. Its capacity has diminished as much as 20% since it was built in 1963, Costa said.
- The 117-mile Delta-Mendota Canal stretches from around the Delta to the Valley. Costa said its capacity has diminished 15% or more since it was built in 1951.
- The 152-mile Friant-Kern Canal stretches from Friant Dam to near Bakersfield and was built in 1951. Cox said it’s lost up to 60% of its original capacity due to subsidence.
“We are the state that we are because we’ve made investments in the past in our infrastructure,” said Cannon Michael, a sixth-generation farmer and chairman of the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority. “It’s fitting that we’re here today with the Friant Dam behind us, one of many important features in the state.”
Michael was one of several regional water officials to join Costa and Cox at the news conference. He and others stressed that these infrastructure improvements would benefit a wide array of groups.
“It’s not just for agriculture,” Michael said. “It’s for communities. It’s for the environment, and it’s for the health of this entire state.”
New groundwater sustainability plans
The announcement of these new water bills comes days after a milestone moment for California water management.
The state required groundwater sustainability plans be filed Jan. 31 for the first time for California groundwater basins and subbasins identified as critically overdrafted. Eleven of these 21 overdrafted basins are located in the central San Joaquin Valley.
Public comment periods have started for many of these plans, submitted by groundwater sustainability agencies created by 2017 with the passage of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) during California’s drought.
