Today, the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) released another report on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta). Its 2007 report concluded that the Delta is no longer sustainable and the need for a new Delta strategy is urgent and critical. The latest PPIC report evaluated four water export alternatives and concluded that a peripheral canal to carry water around the Delta is the most promising strategy to balance two critical goals: reviving a threatened ecosystem and ensuring a high-quality water supply for Californians.

The report makes several recommendations:

1. Move away from levees as the primary means of managing Delta land and water.

2. Transition from through-Delta pumping to other export strategies.

3. Build a peripheral canal to satisfy both economic and environmental objectives.

4. Actively plan and prepare for a changing Delta ecosystem.

5. Develop a new framework for governance and regulation of the Delta.

Last week, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed what has been called "a compromise plan" to the California Legislature to update California’s water system by increasing storage, improving conveyance, protecting the Delta ecosystem and promoting greater water conservation. The water plan includes a $9.3 billion water bond. The two PPIC reports underscore the importance of acting now to develop a comprehensive water plan for California that includes resolution of the Delta issues. As stated in the latest PPIC analysis, "…the cost of inaction is too high to wait much longer. Done right, as part of a balanced, governance infrastructure, and operating solution, a peripheral canal offers the best promise for successfully managing the inevitable transitions of the Delta."

In the coming months, California can implement actions to ensure the long-term viability of the state, but it will require focus, courage and expediency. "We simply cannot pass up this incredible opportunity to demonstrate the type of leadership shown 50 years ago, when California’s existing water systems were initiated," said Peter Frick, President of the Kern County Water Agency Board of Directors. "We must act now to ensure the long-term viability of the state."