From clean drinking supply to sinking infrastructure, California has a lot to worry about when it comes to water. Two upcoming bonds could make a dent in the work ahead.
California voters will soon decide whether to fund two water bonds for a total of $13 billion. The Planning Report examines the complementary proposals—one in June and one in November—in an interview with Jerry Meral, a veteran of natural resource management and a proponent of the November bond.
Up first on the June ballot, Proposition 68 would spread $4 billion among parks, trails, and land conservation, as well as water recycling. More money specifically for water infrastructure would come from the $8.9 billion Water Supply and Water Quality bond scheduled for the November ballot. That measure is expansive, covering 100 different types of water projects, Meral says.. Some of its major funding categories include:
- Safe drinking water and wastewater disposal ("a big priority in disadvantaged communities," Meral notes.)
- Wastewater recycling, water conservation, and watershed restoration.
- Implementation of California's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act—a landmark bill meant to help the state replenish the copious amounts of water it draws from underground every year.
- Repair of the Oroville Dam, whose failure in 2017 forced the evacuation of 188,000 people, and of the sinking Friant-Kern Canal, which supplies key farmland areas.
- Restoring the polluted, shrinking Salton Sea. "I daresay the Salton Sea is the single greatest threat to air quality in the United States," Meral says, as the exposed seabed could "blow dust of biblical proportions" all over the state. The two bonds together cover the funding needed for the state's restoration plan.
Meral also talks about California's reliance on bond measures to fund major infrastructure investments, and the willingness of voters to pay for them all. It's not an ideal long-term strategy, he stresses, but for the moment, it could bode well for water in the state—especially since the need for funding is "substantially greater" than the upcoming bond measures combined.
FULL STORY: November Water Bond Promises $8.9 Billion Towards Securing California’s Future
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.