Gov Pushes New Water Plan

His statement, made during a news conference at a shrinking federal reservoir, shows the governor wants to accelerate the timeframe to devise a far-reaching water plan. It also sets the stage for a summer of negotiations with the Democrat-controlled Legislature.

If the sides can reach a deal, Schwarzenegger said a bond measure could be added to the ballot for the Feb. 5 presidential primary. That election is likely to include several other initiatives, including modifying lawmakers' term limits and changing the way legislative districts are drawn.

``I think we are going to negotiate this year,'' Schwarzenegger said as he stood beside the San Luis Reservoir in Merced County, which supplies water for the state and federal water projects in California but is just 25 percent full.

``Let us go now and build more above-the-ground water storage, below-the-ground water storage. Let's fix the delta once and for all, and build more conveyance and restore and take care of the environment,'' he said.

Schwarzenegger has said the state must plan now to expand a water system that was designed decades ago for a much smaller population.

In January, he proposed a $5.9 billion water bond for the November 2008 ballot. The projects were meant to help weather future droughts, restore the delta's fragile ecosystem and help the state adapt to the rising sea levels that are projected with climate change.

Democrats rejected the governor's proposal this spring. They said the two most likely new dams - the proposed Sites Reservoir in a valley north of Sacramento and the Temperance Flat Reservoir in the Sierra foothills above Fresno - lacked complete environmental studies and commitments from local water users to help pay for them.

Lawmakers also refused to include money for dams the last time the Legislature approved a series of public works bonds in 2006.

Last month, Schwarzenegger added a new dynamic to his bond proposal, endorsing a canal that would pipe water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area. A similar plan was soundly defeated by voters in 1982 and is likely to prove contentious if it is part of a future ballot initiative.

Department of Water Resources Director Lester Snow said Schwarzenegger hopes to strike a compromise deal with lawmakers before the Legislature adjourns Sept. 14. The governor's plan includes $4.5 billion for two reservoirs, $1 billion for a canal and $450 million for water conservation efforts.

(clo)