TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

THE BAKERSFIELD CALIFORNIAN

The water package approved by the California Legislature in the wee hours of Wednesday could be both bad and good for Kern County.

Potentially bad is the groundwater monitoring provision on the policy side of the package, said Brent Walthall Kern County Water Agency's assistant general manager based in Sacramento.

Kern County is way ahead of the state on groundwater management and water banking so this is being closely watched locally.

"If it's implemented in a punitive way, that could be negative for us," Walthall said. "We don't think it will be implemented that way, but we're watching it."

The good stuff is in the bond.

Specifically, the Agency is excited about money earmarked for ecosystem restoration in the delta, such as creating riparian habitat for salmon and smelt.

"If we can move forward on that, it could potentially return some of our water supply to us in the future," Walthall said.

Court rulings have restricted pumping in the delta in an attempt to protect the delta smelt. But even after three years of voluntary pump shutdowns and court-ordered restrictions, delta smelt populations have continued to decline.

Left out of the bill was a directive for agencies to look at other factors, such as pesticides and sewage being dumped in the delta, that could be undermining the smelt's and other species' success.

And while the legislation didn't refer to the peripheral canal directly, Walthall said it requires studies on ways to move water around the delta. Since those studies are under way through the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, the water package appears to give tacit approval to moving forward with a canal or other conveyance system.

The bond has no money for such a canal as water users have already agreed to pay that cost.

State Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, got specific on how the bond could help Kern:

* There's $3 billion for underground and above ground water storage.

* $70 million in matching funds for urban water supply management.

* Eligibility to compete for $1.7 billion in grants for ecosystem and watershed protection and restoration available to projects, including for the Kern River.

The big prize, he said, was the authorization of a water conveyance system.

Assemblywoman Jean Fuller, R-Bakersfield, said the package isn't perfect but "moves us significantly forward in resolving the state's water crisis in a manner that enables us to meet our growing future demands."

"I am pleased to report that, included in the package of bills, there is $450 million for drought relief that will directly support farms and jobs in the Central Valley," she said in a statement. "In addition, $1.5 billion was included to aid in Delta ecosystem restoration, as well as governance provisions that create a clear path for the construction of a much needed new delta canal."

Assemblyman Danny Gilmore, R-Hanford, voted for the bond but cast mixed votes on the policy bills because some would "produce larger government without developing a drop of water," said his chief of staff, Valory Mitchell.

- Californian columnist Lois Henry and government editor Christine Bedell