1. Imported Water Committee
January 24, 2013

2.  The Water Authority has consistently
supported a solution in the Bay Delta that
achieves the coequal goals of improving
water supply reliability and ecosystem
restoration
 The Water Authority provided crucial support
to the effort in the Legislature to pass the
2009 Bay Delta bill package
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3.  The Board adopted Bay Delta policy
principles in February 2012 and reiterated
the principles in adopting the Legislative
Policy Guidelines in November 2012
 The principles include:
◦ Encourage a Bay Delta solution that promotes
local water supply development
◦ Encourage a Bay Delta solution that is cost-
effective when compared to other sources of
water reliability
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4.  Require independent technical analysis of key
elements of the Bay Delta solution, including
real urban and agricultural demands for water
 Support “right-sized” facilities to match firm
commitments to pay
 Continue to support the co-equal goals of
water supply reliability and ecosystem
restoration
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5.  Continue to support the co-equal goals of
water supply reliability and ecosystem
restoration
 Support a deliberative process that is
designed to ensure a meaningful dialog
among the various stakeholders
 Improve the ability of water users to divert
more water in wet years, when impacts on the
ecosystem are less
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6.  Encourage the development of a statewide
water transfer market
 Work with all stakeholders to ensure a
meaningful dialog and that water supply and
ecosystem restoration processes are
conducted in an open and transparent
manner
 The current BDCP proposed project is not
consistent with these principles
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7.  Natural Resources Defense Council contacted
a variety of water agencies to seek support
for an alternative solution for the Bay Delta
◦ A conceptual alternative to the current proposed
project for the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan called
the “Portfolio Approach”
◦ Portfolio Approach is designed to produce
comparable or better reliability at a lower cost
 Water Authority was a signatory, along with a
group of water agencies, asking that the
NRDC alternative be evaluated in the BDCP
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8.  Build a single-bore tunnel with a capacity of
3,000 cfs or more, with one intake
◦ If needed, more capacity could be added at a later
date
 Instead of $14 billion for the current
proposed 9,000 cfs double-bore tunnel,
estimated cost is $5 billion to $7 billion
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9.  Best available science
 Protect listed species
 “Big gulp, little sip” – Take more water in wet
years and less water in dry years
 Develop storage south of the Delta to
increase reliability
 Average projected yield: 4.0 to 4.3 million
acre feet
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10.  Invest in local water supplies that will
decrease reliance on the Delta by
exporters
 Savings in the cost of the conveyance
project could be used to grow local
supplies
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11.  Improve coordination among water agencies
to maximize use of water on a regional scale
 Integrated Regional Water Management could
play major role
 Water Authority, City, and County of San
Diego have an IRWM Plan that could invest
increased state funding
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12.  Add surface water and groundwater storage
South of the Delta to improve flexibility and
reliability in dry years
 Current proposed project lacks sufficient
storage to take advantage of large flows in
wet years
◦ SWP pumps were halted in 2011 during high flows
due to lack of storage capacity
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13.  Levee improvements would protect the
current and future through-Delta conveyance
system from catastrophic failure
 Levee improvements would provide
substantial flood-control and ecosystem
benefits to in-Delta interests, potentially
lessening resistance to the BDCP
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14.  40,000 acres of targeted floodplain and
tidal marsh restoration could provide
greater ecosystem benefits at a lesser cost
than the larger, less-focused restoration
currently proposed
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15.  Ensure best use of objective science through
adaptive management
 Independent review of science
 Quantified performance objectives
 Governance and adaptive management
processes
 Carefully defined roles for various interests in
the Delta
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16.  The state has not yet made a business case
for the current proposed project of 9,000 cfs
 A smaller conveyance project would free up
billions of dollars with a small decrease in
water yield
 Investments in local supplies and storage
could provide an additional 1 million acre-
feet or more, as well as improved water
supply reliability
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17.  Encourage a Bay Delta solution that promotes local water
supply development
◦ Portfolio Approach calls for local supply development as
part of a comprehensive Bay Delta solution
 Encourage a Bay Delta solution that is cost-effective when
compared to other sources of water reliability
◦ Portfolio Approach recognizes that financial resources are
not unlimited and outlines a solution that may be more
cost-effective
 Require independent technical analysis of key elements of
the Bay Delta solution, including urban and agricultural real
demands
◦ BDCP has not addressed real demands to date, as the
Water Authority has consistently urged
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18.  Support “right-sized” facilities to match firm commitments to
pay
◦ Analysis of the Portfolio Approach could lead to a better
understanding of the right size for the Bay Delta solution
 Continue to support the co-equal goals of water supply
reliability and ecosystem restoration
◦ Portfolio Approach is intended to be balanced approach to
achieving both the co-equal goals
 Support a deliberative process that is designed to ensure a
meaningful dialog among the various stakeholders
◦ Signers of the January 16 letter, representing 22 percent of
the state’s population, are encouraging a wider dialog
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19.  Improve the ability of water users to divert more water in wet
years, when impacts on the ecosystem are less
◦ Emphasis on south of Delta storage allows the diversion and
storage of more water in wet years
 Encourage the development of a statewide water transfer
market
◦ Portfolio Approach calls for greater coordination among
water agencies to make more effective use of existing
facilities, including MWD’s, for moving water to where it is
needed
 Work with all stakeholders to ensure a meaningful dialog and
that water supply and ecosystem restoration processes are
conducted in an open and transparent manner
◦ The Water Authority has maintained an open dialog with a
diverse array of stakeholders in the Bay Delta solution
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