Voters to decide on voting $7.1 B for water projects

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- While welcome, Monday's rain does little to ease the state's critical drought. In two weeks, voters will be asked to vote on a $7.1 billion bond -- Proposition 1 -- for water projects. They are projects that will expand water storage and provide other infrastructure improvements.

Proposition 1 will take a long-term approach to addressing the state's critical water issues and it will take a long time to decide how to spend the $7.1 billion. And local water agencies will need to compete to win approval for some of their projects.

The view from SKY7HD clearly shows how reservoirs are at low levels. So the goal of Proposition 1 is to build even more reservoirs and groundwater storage while boosting recycling and watershed protection.

$2.7 billion out of the $7.1 billion bond will go toward storage projects, but water agencies will have to vie for funding and come up with matching funds.

"The money in the bond goes to a lot of different organizations -- state agencies, local agencies. The storage money is going to be decided by something called the California Water Commission, appointed by the governor with nine representatives. They're going to have to make decisions about the benefits of the different proposals that are brought to them," Peter Gleick, Ph.D., from the Pacific Institute said.

Local water customers could see rates increase to get bond money for their projects. With the election just two weeks away, Gov. Jerry Brown was painting a dire picture of the drought at a Stanford water conference.

"People are literally having to use bucket water for their showers and getting sand out of their tap in various parts of the Central Valley," Brown said.

However, some analysts wonder where the water will come from to fill expanded storage facilities. And a major opponent to Prop. 1 doesn't see any remedies for the current drought.

"If you read this one carefully, much of it won't do any good for 15 or 20 years. That's not really going to help us through this drought period," Pacific Coast Fed. of Fishermen's Association Zeke Grader said.

Voters we polled believe the state's economy is on the line while others think conservation is the answer.

"More water efficient garden design, more rebates for having people being more water efficient homes, houses, are critical, versus building more reservoirs," landscape designer Alan Hackler said.

"We need to spend whatever it's going to take to keep living here. It's something that needs to be dealt with," Morgan Hill resident Chuck Berghoff said.