Four years ago, PCL went to Governor Schwarzenegger’s Bay Delta Conservation Plan manager and told her the Administration needed to start the BDCP process by objectively analyzing all alternatives for restoring the Bay Delta ecosystem and increasing water supply reliability. Regrettably, this advice was ignored and $140 million was wasted by fruitlessly pursuing the massive canal/tunnel project preselected by water exporters.  

Just a few days ago, Governor Brown’s new BDCP manager, Jerry Meral, announced that this time they were going to start with an analysis of a broad range of alternatives, including the one PCL recommend they consider (see “8 Affordable Water Solutions for California”). 

While BDCP has a long way to go on important issues including financing, governance and adaptive management, this is a great first step.