Nov. 5, 2014 -- On Tuesday, Nov. 4, California voters overwhelmingly approved the $7.5-billion Proposition 1 water bond, the Water Quality, Supply and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014, passing the proposal 67 to 33 percent, according to a recent press release.
With one of the most severe droughts on record plaguing California, the bond will fund critical new water supply and infrastructure development projects vital to the wellbeing of much of the state.
More specifically, Proposition 1 will fund measures relating to water conservation, water recycling, ecosystem and watershed restoration, drinking water protection, and groundwater cleanup, to name a few, as well as invest toward two new major storage reservoirs.
Key allocations include $520 million toward water quality, $1.5 billion for ecosystems and watersheds, $810 million to regional water management, $725 million toward water recycling and treatment, $900 million for groundwater cleanup, and $395 million to flood management.
Of the allotments, $2.7 billion — the largest portion of the funding — will be dedicated to water storage, specifically the Temperance Flat reservoir near Fresno and the Sites Reservoir near Sacramento in the central parts of the state.
Proposition 1 was approved by the Legislature in August and was initially led while continuing to be strongly supported by California Governor Jerry Brown, Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, among others.
See also:
"Pacific Institute issues helpful analysis of CA water bond to better inform Nov voters"
"CA water authority backs water bond; urges legislators to approve"
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