Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today participated in a press conference hosted by the Latino Water Coalition to discuss the urgent need for comprehensive water reform that increases storage, improves conveyance, protects the Delta's ecosystem and promotes greater water conservation.

"Water is important to everything we care about in California-to our economy, our agriculture, our jobs, our families, our environment and our future-but we have fallen far behind," Governor Schwarzenegger said. "With a drought, court-ordered water restrictions, an increasing population, and agricultural fields being left fallow because of inadequate water, passing a comprehensive water plan that voters can approve this November is more important than ever before to making sure that California has the water it needs to keep our economy strong and our people working."

On July 10, the Governor and Senator Dianne Feinstein proposed a compromise plan to the Legislature to update California's water system that would put the state on the path toward restoring the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, expanding water supplies and promoting conservation efforts that will ensure a clean, reliable water supply for California.

In June, the Governor issued an executive order declaring a statewide drought, which directed his state agencies and departments to take immediate action to address the serious drought conditions and water delivery reductions that exist in California. He also proclaimed a state of emergency in nine Central Valley counties to address urgent water needs: Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Kern.

California's current drought has been caused by a number of factors including two years of below-normal rainfall, an eight year drought on the Colorado River Basin and court-ordered restrictions on water deliveries from the Delta.

This year's drought has already significantly damaged California's economy. According to estimates by California's Department of Food and Agriculture, as of July 11, California had lost $245 million in crop losses, with Fresno suffering the largest amount at $73.5 million and Kern at $69.5 million in losses. Due to California's water shortages, there have been housing and business projects delayed and jobs lost.

The crisis is no less severe for our fisheries and critical environmental resources. In two of the past three years, our once thriving Pacific salmon fisheries have been simply shut down as former salmon strongholds throughout the state have become dangerously imperiled. The populations of Delta smelt and other native Delta fish have collapsed to tiny fractions of their former levels. Threats from aquatic invasive species, toxic discharges and pesticides abound.  Restoring our fisheries and our riparian ecosystems in the face of all these challenges will require bold action.

The $9.3 billion bond proposal that the Governor and Senator Feinstein have proposed includes the following elements from all stakeholders and is a compromise approach that will move California toward a reliable water future:

• Increased water storage to ensure our water supply is more reliable year-to-year and we're able to capture excess water in wet years to use in dry years
• Improved water conveyance to reduce water shortages
• Restored Delta ecosystem to allow California to take control of its own water systems
• Increased conservation and tools to use water more efficiently