California Legislators Pushing For Resolution to Water Crisis

Legislators in California are forming a special session to try to tackle the state's crippling water woes. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is hoping they can hammer out a deal within the week.

1 minute read

October 15, 2009, 7:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


The state has struggled through three years of drought and have cut off water supplies to many of the state's farmers. Legislators are hoping to nail down a few projects that will get California's water flowing again.

"The negotiations are focused on repairing the state's fragile water ecosystem, unleashing new water supplies and increasing water conservation throughout the state. More specifically, negotiators hope to seal a deal that would make equal the goals of restoring the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta - a collection of channels, natural habitats and islands at the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers that is a major source of the state's drinking water - and increasing the supply of water to residents, businesses and farms.

State officials say the restoration of the delta, as envisioned in the negotiations, would be the largest environmental restoration project in the United States, surpassing the effort under way in the Florida Everglades."

Monday, October 12, 2009 in The New York Times

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