California's water is threatened as never before. Climate change, invasive species, toxic chemicals, dumping and just plain inefficiency threaten California's water supplies. The Bay-Delta ecosystem, which provides water for 25 million Californians and hundreds of thousands of acres of farm land, is collapsing. Groundwater is being pumped at unsustainable rates. And our water infrastructure - dams, levees, canals - is old and vulnerable to earth quakes, sea level rise and saltwater intrusion.

Ensuring safe and sufficient water supplies for the 21st century requires significant investments in our water infrastructure and natural ecosystems. After five decades of divisive wrangling, the time has arrived for the governor to provide real leadership and solve our longstanding water problems. The goal must be to maintain and enhance water supplies for all Californians and take action to restore the Bay-Delta and meet California's true water needs.

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MY RECORD ON WATER:

As Governor:

• Awarded $2 billion in clean water grants, improving drinking water quality and creating 48,000 jobs statewide
• Won federal protection for five wild and scenic rivers in California
• Signed legislation authorizing construction of a Peripheral Canal and other water facilities - all requiring strong environmental protection 
• Used funding from the Energy and Resources Fund to reforest private timberlands, restock lakes and rivers, preserve wetlands, and promote soil and water conservation
• Created a state Office of Water Recycling with the goal of tripling water recycling; and created the first Office of Water Conservation

As Attorney General:

• Recovered $19.5 million from Shell Oil for underground gas tank violations that threatened groundwater and drinking water supplies
• Worked with District Attorneys statewide to bring multiple actions against companies for illegal disposal of toxic wastes and groundwater contamination

MY PLAN:

To protect water quality and supplies, I will:

1. Ensure Safe Drinking Water for All Californians

While we have made significant strides in water treatment, toxic chemicals and other pollutants continue to threaten the drinking water of millions of Californians. As Governor, I will strive to make California's drinking water safe by:

• Improving and protecting the Delta ecosystem and water supply
• Appointing State and Regional Water Board members who thoughtfully enforce state and federal water quality laws
• Strengthening programs that regulate discharge of wastewater into California's rivers, lakes and streams
• Continuing to implement Integrated Regional Water Management Plans that adopt pollution control measures and support pollution control programs
• Supporting programs designed to prevent groundwater contamination
• Securing federal support from the US Department of Agriculture and Department of the Interior to provide financial assistance to low-income communities, especially in rural areas, to upgrade water treatment facilities and protect water quality

2. Recognize the critical role of water in California Agriculture

Irrigated agriculture is the backbone of our agriculture economy. Reduced water supplies due to protection of endangered species, declining groundwater levels, changes in reservoir operation due to climate change, and other factors threaten the irrigation supply. Farmers need water supply reliability. As Governor I will:

• Use the State Water Project, within the limits of existing contracts, to facilitate water transfers that improve agricultural viability
• Create a permanent Office of Agricultural Water Supply Improvement to facilitate water sales and transfers benefiting agriculture
• Encourage state and federal programs which help farmers make more of their water supplies
• Seek partnerships between agricultural, environmental and urban water users which better utilize water supplies to serve multiple uses, such as providing incentives to farmers and agricultural districts to implement agricultural practices that benefit the environment while improving crop productivity
• Support research at the University of California which helps farmers improve the efficiency of water use, improve the efficiency of groundwater pumping facilities to lower water cost, develop new varieties of crops which maintain or improve productivity while using less water, and find ways of making economic use of agricultural wastewater supplies
• Implement state programs to assist farmers and irrigation districts to improve irrigation efficiency
• Support programs to maintain California agriculture's global competitiveness

3. Increase Water Supplies by Expanding Water Efficiency and Recycling

Increasing the efficiency of water use - cutting waste and increasing recycling - is the most cost-effective, lowest impact way to expand water supplies. For instance, water efficiency standards for clothes washers set by the California Energy Commission save enough water to meet the annual water needs of the City of San Diego. Reducing water waste also saves energy since water pumping, heating, and treatment are major consumers of electricity (20% of the state's electricity goes to moving, cleaning and disposing of water). California currently has over 250 water recycling plants, but we must expand this capacity significantly to meet the state's goal of recycling over one million acre-feet of water annually. By using this water for irrigation and industrial purposes, the state's urban water supply will be increased by 20%. As Governor, I will:

• Fully implement Senate Bill 7x7 which calls for improved water efficiency by both urban and agricultural users
• Support incentives for increased water efficiency and recycling
• Direct the California Energy Commission in coordination with the Department of Water Resources to adopt water efficiency standards for appliances that reduce both water and energy consumption and to adopt public education programs similar to "Flex our Power" to increase water efficiency
• Increase capture of urban storm-water through cisterns, groundwater infiltration and other retention facilities 
• Consolidate and facilitate the permitting of recycled and reclaimed water projects

4. Restore and Maintain Groundwater Supplies

Groundwater provides an average of 30% of the water used in California and as much as 40% in drought years. Some communities rely entirely on groundwater for their water supply. Groundwater is also an increasingly important component of water storage in California. In the past 15 years, California has added groundwater storage capacity equivalent to 1.5 times the capacity of Lake Shasta, the State's largest reservoir. Yet groundwater faces serious threats from pollution and overdraft (the extraction of groundwater at an unsustainable rate), both of which must be addressed to maintain safe, adequate groundwater supplies. As Governor, I will:

• Support development and implementation of Integrated Regional Water Management Plans that address surface and groundwater supplies and quality, as well as associated ecosystem and habitat needs and benefits
• Direct the Department of Water Resources to assist those responsible for groundwater monitoring and reporting of groundwater levels
• Foster programs that improve groundwater management by local agencies and lead to more sustainable groundwater use

5. Protect and Restore the Delta

In addition to providing water for 25 million Californians, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is home to many small communities. It also provides important farmland, recreational opportunities and habitat for fisheries, endangered species and other wildlife. The Delta ecosystem faces numerous threats from water diversions, unreliable levees, invasive species, polluted runoff from agriculture and urban areas, sea level rise, saltwater intrusion and more. California must implement a science-based plan to ensure safe and adequate water supplies while addressing the severe challenges facing the Delta. As Governor, I will:

• Ensure that the newly-formed Delta Stewardship Council completes a Delta Plan that achieves the co-equal goals of restoring the Delta ecosystem and creating a more reliable water supply for California
• Prioritize levee repairs to protect existing communities and water supplies
• Require the Delta Stewardship Council and Department of Water Resources to integrate sea level rise and other climate change impacts into the Delta Plan
• Ensure that the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan is a multi-objective, integrated flood management plan that protects existing urban areas, and considers protection, restoration, and use of floodplains and wetlands for ecosystem restoration and groundwater recharge
• Complete scientific, economic and environmental review of alternative conveyance facilities recommended by the Bay Delta Conservation Plan

6. Invest in California's Water Infrastructure including water storage facilities

California desperately needs investment in its water infrastructure, but given the State's financial condition, we must ensure that investments are cost-effective and funded by the appropriate sources. The beneficiaries - or users - of water infrastructure projects should pay their share of the costs of those projects. The state should invest in infrastructure improvements providing benefits to the general public or the environment. The projects must be cost-effective and make long-term sense. As Governor, I will:

• Support infrastructure investments, including water storage projects, that achieve the multiple goals of increasing water supply reliability, protecting the environment and other public benefits, such as wetlands protection and restoration, and flood protection
• Support conveyance and storage investments, such as a peripheral canal or tunnel, that provide a net benefit in ecosystem and water quality conditions and where the beneficiaries pay for the benefits they receive

7. Incorporate Climate Change into All Aspects of Water Planning and Management

Climate change will exacerbate all of the challenges water already faces in California. The Department of Water Resources projects that the snowpack will decline by 25-40% by 2050, reducing water storage and the water supply for millions of Californians. As snowstorms become rainstorms, the danger of flooding will increase. Higher temperatures and stronger winds will increase demand. Rising sea level will result in increased seawater intrusion threatening groundwater supplies. Both floods and droughts are likely to be more severe and erosion is likely to accelerate. Higher river flows may threaten the safety of some of our more than 1000 dams.

Integrating climate change into California's water planning and management is critical to accurately forecasting water needs and supplies and protecting increasingly threatened infrastructure and natural resources. As Governor, I will:

• Further develop and implement the California Climate Adaptation Strategy to protect water supply, agriculture and sensitive ecosystems
• Focus resources on protection and restoration of wetlands and riparian habitat that protect water quality and provide buffers against flooding and sea level rise
• Develop water management plans that address the shrinking snow pack and growing frequency of droughts