Hurtado Effort To Repair Valley Canals And Save Water Succeeds As Department Of Water Resources Initiates Funding Program To Repair Water Conveyance Systems
December 1, 2021 - SANGER, CA. - On Tuesday, Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) released the following statement regarding the California Department of Water Resources announcement that they have initiated a $100 million funding program to rehabilitate four major water conveyance facilities:
“With food prices at an all-time high, today’s announcement is a major win for consumers, farmers, and 30 million Californians who rely on Central Valley water for clean water,” said Senator Hurtado. “This $100 Million investment is a major milestone, and a significant down payment towards a sustainable future, but this is just a start. California is still experiencing an epic drought and desperately needs additional funding to provide a safe water and food supply now and in the future. I will continue fighting to ensure California’s vital water infrastructure is fully funded, and will be asking for additional funding next legislative session.”
Senator Hurtado authored Senate Bill 559—The State Water Resiliency Act of 2021—which established the funding plan and program announced by DWR today, as part of the 2021-22 Budget Act. In his May Revise, Governor Gavin Newsom proposed $200 million to help repair the canals. In the budget, ultimately adopted by the Legislature and signed by the Governor, $100 million was allocated to fixing the canals and a commitment was made to allocate an additional $100 million in 2022.
This budget allocation will partially fund repairs to vital water delivery systems that provide drinking water to communities throughout California, and water to sustain the state’s leading agricultural economy. The funds may provide for towards fixes on the Friant-Kern Canal, the Delta-Mendota Canal and major portions of the California Aqueduct, all of which have degraded and are losing water as a result of subsidence – the actual shrinking of land. Congressman Jim Costa and U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein have companion legislation in Congress.
About Senator Melissa Hurtado
Senator Melissa Hurtado represents a new generation of Latina leaders as the youngest woman ever elected to the California State Senate and a product of immigrant parents. Senator Hurtado represents the 14th Senate District and focuses on rural community issues that often go unheard — access to clean air and water, food insecurity and poverty, inequities in environmental policies, agriculture and access to health care. In July 2020, she was appointed to the national Biden Latino Leadership Committee alongside former Labor Secretary and current Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis – the only two California Latinas on the Committee.
For more information, visit Senator Hurtado’s Website or find her on Twitter at @Senator_Hurtado
Source: Senator Melissa Hurtado
