Optimism, Anxiety over Water Plan and Bay Restoration

The Bay Area Council Water Committee received mixed news as state regulators continued their plan to reclaim water from the Bay Area and other regions for the environment. On the one hand, the State Water Board has approved a controversial plan to reclaim water from the Bay Area and other regions for the environment. The decision came over the strong objections from the Bay Area Council that such a move could provoke a wave of building moratoria across the region. However, a last-minute voluntary agreement between the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and its partners and the state Natural Resources Agency could provide more targeted benefits to ecosystems without threatening the region’s water supply.

The Water Committee, meeting at Council member Venable, LLC, also discussed the broader 2019 water policy landscape with UC Berkeley’s Ethan Elkind, and the status of Bay restoration projects with San Mateo County Supervisor David Pine, who also chairs the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority. To engage with the Bay Area Council’s Water Committee, please contact Vice President, Public Policy Adrian Covert.