Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday that his proposed state budget includes a $5.1 billion investment in water infrastructure and drought resilience as the state faces critical water shortages in major reservoirs.
The proposed allocation would be spent over four years and includes $1.3 billion for improved drinking and wastewater infrastructure, $60 million to help the agriculture industry reduce its water use and greenhouse gas emissions and $200 million for habitat restoration.
Newsom, announcing the investment at the San Luis Reservoir in Merced County, said the state has lost some 500,000 acre-feet of runoff over the last three weeks compared to what state water officials expected.
That total is equivalent to the water usage by 1 million households for a year.
“What we’ve experienced is what some had predicted but no one had necessarily experienced,” Newsom said.
“And that was snow melt so acute that it didn’t actually run off into reservoirs or rivers, but it actually seeped into the dry, parched ground underneath, much of it evaporating completely.”
Newsom’s announcement of the water infrastructure funding, part of the governor’s annual May budget proposal revision, came on the same day that he added 39 counties to the state’s emergency drought proclamation, including four in the Bay Area.
Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa and Solano counties were added to the proclamation. Newsom signed the initial proclamation last month, declaring a drought emergency in Sonoma and Mendocino counties due to historically low water levels in the Russian River watershed.
“It’s self-evident to many folks that the hots are getting hotter in the state, the dries are getting a lot drier,” Newsom said. “We have to recognize that we live in a world that we were not designed to live in. We have a conveyance system, a water system, that was designed to a world that no longer exists.”
Newsom is expected to tease out other portions of his May budget proposal revision this week before unveiling the full proposal on Friday.
Newsom and the state legislature will then have until June 15 to approve the budget before the new fiscal year begins on July 1.
19 comments
Are you stupid Newsom?Let me answer that yes.Build more water storage you ass the money you are spending is not going to cure the problem.A five year old could figure this one out.Add to the fact the amount of people you are making leave the state and the shortage will go away.And I hope you get recalled you moron.
As you can see that 5.1 billion would solve the problem.
Design capacity of the KBH plant is 27.5 million gallons per day (MGD). The 2010 biennial report on seawater desalination projected that it will cost approximately $32 million to build a 2.5 MGD seawater desalination plant, and approximately $658 million to build a 100 MGD seawater desalination plant in Texas.
little late the newscum is floundering
so what is the worth of a recalled fake governor now a days
Governor Hair Gel waits until we’re back in a drought. Why wasn’t this done a long time ago?
Governor Hair Gel!!!😂😂😂😂 best one yet
Pretty Boy…Pretty Boy
Cute names. And running against our pretty boy we have Caitlyn Jenner (clearly in touch with the everyday Californian) and a guy who is compares himself to a bear (is that referring to intelligence??). I’m liking Gavin’s chances more and more each day.
An once again after 20 plus years of removing dams in CA, a governor facing a recall miraculously comes up with “water infrastructure funding” that will have zero effect on this summer’s crisis. IF political party which has had control of this state for over a decade were anything but short sighted knee jerk reactionists, new reservoirs would already have been built.
And what are current storage levels in existing reservoirs?
Shasta Dam is at only 48%, Oroville Dam 41% of capacity.
Department of Water Resources Daily Reservoir Storage Summary
https://tinyurl.com/6928ymyu
But rest assured CA does have yearly consistency, this summer as with past summers because of red tape, unnecessary bureaucracy, levels of tolerated sloth and incompetence . . . . . . . . . . CA will be on fire
At beginning of April 2021 roughly 90,000 hazardous trees still needed to be removed from area of CAMP / Paradise Fire. That Fire was in 2018.
“California’s 2020 wildfire season thwarted the state’s fight against climate change, spewing enough carbon dioxide into the air to equal the emissions of millions of passenger vehicles driving over the course of a year.
Those roughly 9,600 fires burned nearly 4.2 million acres, killed 31 people, and emitted an estimated 112 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, according to a California Air Resources Board report released Dec. 31. The number is akin to the greenhouse gas emissions of 24.2 million passenger cars driving in a single year”
bloomberg https://tinyurl.com/46hyarr4
Imagine how much better CA could be if competency were a requirement to retain public office. Like half a Bay Bridge, completed TEN YEARS LATE and $5 Billion over budget. Of course competency would cut down on peacock strutting, legend in their own mind, drama queen press conferences.
Some of it’s is good but there is plenty of pork in it.
Newsom is the man! Taking care of things like no other could possibly do. Thanks Claycord commentors for your support of Newsom!
No sweat Bo.
This is an interesting EBMud site with reservoir type info.
https://www.ebmud.com/water/about-your-water/water-supply/water-supply-reports/daily-water-supply-report/
Didn’t this dumpstick a few years ago past the 7.5 billion dollars to improve water what happened to all that money voters wake up
Do I smell fear emanating from Newscum?
Send money to the illegals, not sure … cause they cannot vote, legally.
Send money to others that make under 75K a year …
Spend money on water now .. ummm, might be a late greaseball …
Says we have a surplus of funds now …
He says he will be opening CA by June 15th, either cause we meet the current metrics or he changes the metrics (again) …
Feels like he is trying to ‘correct’ all of his mistakes.
So Newscum, are you scared? You should be! You will likely not be recalled (but I can dream and vote to recall you) … but your political career WILL BE OVER (thankfully).
This is the guy that axed how many water projects?
And as to the above comment, where did all the money go?
Interesting article
‘Why Do Californians Have to Choose Between Food, Agriculture, and Fish?’
“Reservoirs were full to the top in 2019, with enough water to supply to all users for at least five years of drought, but no longer”
https://tinyurl.com/x2jrwpdd
The dam leaking all of this taxpayer funding will only be repaired when Newsom is replaced with a Republican willing to Just Say No to reckless spending.
76,000 soon to be released violent and repeat felons agree Gavin is just peachy……..
Please tell me how this makes California better and our children safer.
I knew there was a reason for legalizing marijuana. Get off your couch and do something about this guy. He sounds like he’s on mushrooms “ We have to realize the world blah blah blah” his mind is totally fried. Every level of government needs a through flushing.
I was actually designed to live in this world by God. This little greaseballs atheist propaganda is demented.
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