T.U.D. Hails New Water Legislation
Sonora, CA — T.U.D. General Manager Pete Kampa expressed himself this way, “I’m excited and satisfied with Senator Dave Cogdill’s Safe, Clean, Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2010 that was passed Wednesday in the Legislature.”
“They (the Legislature) loosened up those requirements (that T.U.D. would have to pay for withdrawing Pinecrest Lake water) and it doesn’t appear that there will be a specific impact fee. Such a fee would only be levied on a true impact.
Also they’ve removed the requirements for the development of all monitoring and studies at our expense to be able to withdraw that water because that would have been really expensive for our rate payers.”
Monies that will now be available through this $11.1 billion bond measure include $75 million for the Sierra Nevada Conservancy (T.U.D. has already received three grants from this agency), $1 billion for water recycling, $250 million for water conservation, $44 million for the mountain counties from Mariposa to Placer for implementation of water supply and wastewater projects, $75 million for small county wastewater projects and $80 million for safe drinking water program.
The overall bill calls for $455 million for drought relief, $1.4 billion for regional water supply, $2.25 billion for Delta sustainability, $3 billion for water storage, $1.7 billion for watershed conservation., $1 billion for groundwater cleanup and protection and $1.25 billion for water recycling and water conservation.
Now the bond measure must be approved by the voters come November, 2010.
Written by bill.johnson@mlode.com
