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Water Policy

I am clear that a full understanding of water policy and how to meet the water and water quality needs of residents of CD2 will require ongoing effort. Here is the ground from which I will work:

The issue of water in CD2 is vital, and extremely complicated. Rights to water in some areas date back to the time of the Spanish land grants. New legislative mandates have been layered upon existing rights to the point where much of water policy is currently being decided in the courts.

1. Water is integral to people's lives and to the successful pursuit of our livelihood in District 2. I also understand that as the source of so much of California’s water, our water is a vital resource for the state. We residents of CD2 should have our water needs met. We do not want to repeat the Owens Valley experience, where all the water from the Owens River and the area aquifers was diverted to the LA Basin, with Owens Valley residents having to subsist in a desert dry environment.

2. To be able to continue to pursue our rural livelihoods and lifestyle while supplying water to other areas of California, we need to better understand how much water exists in our underground system of aquifers. Without this vital knowledge, water usage could be outstripping our natural water system's ability to replenish itself. Also, it makes sense to use natural underground storage wherever possible, considering the need to meet water quality standards, before creating more expensive above ground reservoir storage systems. To make informed decisions we need to better understand our natural water systems.

3. We who live at the source should be able to economically benefit from our water. It is our oil. Small rural communities should be given technical and legal assistance to make water deals that are in their best interests and in the best interests of the State of California as a whole. While this is rightly a grassroots issue, rural communities should be given the resources through governmental and association groups to make agreements that have long-term positive impacts on their area.

Instead of a "don't rock the boat" approach to water policy that impacts our residents, our representatives must be involved in the statewide dialog about serving all of California's water needs. A commitment to dialog and consensus building is our most effective tool for having our needs considered, as the demands for water in the delta and urban centers of southern California grow.

Our Congressman must be able to stand with state and local officials to effectively represent the needs of CD2 residents in a dialog which must consider federal, state and local issues. I look forward to working for the people of my district on this complex and vital issue.