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May 8, 2008 2:42 pm US/Pacific
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State Senate Votes To Dissolve Delta Program
SACRAMENTO (AP) ―
The California Senate has voted to end state participation in the program created eight years ago to rescue the delta from collapse and resolve persistent water disputes.
The bill was passed Thursday on a 25-8 vote. If it is signed into law, it would effectively dissolve the California Federal Bay-Delta Program, commonly known as Cal-Fed.
It was created after an agreement in 2000 between California and the federal government but has been plagued ever since by bureaucratic disagreements over funding and priorities.
An investigation last year by The Associated Press found that most of the nearly $5 billion that has been spent on the program has gone to projects hundreds of miles from the delta.
Many of Cal-Fed's goals have gone unrealized, and the program has been largely inactive for several years.
Lawmakers want to replace the authority after getting recommendations later this year from a commission considering the future of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The fragile ecosystem is the heart of California's water supply and delivery system.
In the meantime, the bill would transfer the authority's duties, contracts and programs to the California Resources Agency. It now goes to the Assembly.
(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)