No Water Bond
Why We Should Sink California’s Water Bond – Before it Sinks Us
Back-room dealing last fall by the California Legislature and Governor Schwarzenegger has created a monster: an $11.1 billion water bond that was slated for California’s November ballot.
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Our concerns with the bond include the following:
- It prioritizes $3 billion in funding for dams and other expensive, inefficient water storage projects. Fishing communities are already reeling from record-low salmon runs; more dams on the rivers where salmon spawn would make the situation even worse. And although dams would primarily benefit corporate interests that use most of the state’s water, they expect taxpayers and urban water users to foot most of the bill for dam construction and maintenance.
- It allows up to $1 billion to be used for desalination projects.
- It allows corporations to partner with water agencies to own, manage and profit from the dams that are financed with taxpayer bond money.
- It allows corporations to wholly own the desalination projects that are financed with taxpayers’ money.
- It allocates only 2% of bond money to conservation programs and 1% to disadvantaged communities for drinking water improvements and other projects.
A bond is a loan that California taxpayers must pay back with interest. Over 30 years, total payments will top $24 billion.
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We need your help to sink the water bond on the November ballot and support fairer, more effective water policies like the Clean Water Trust Fund.
Please read our fact sheet for more information and contact organizers in your area to volunteer:
In the Bay Area – Adam Scow, ascow[at]fwwatch[dot]org
In Los Angeles and Santa Barbara – Renee Maas, rmaas[at]fwwatch[dot]org
In the Central Valley – Noelle Ferdon, nferdon[at]fwwatch[dot]org
Paid for by Consumer Advocates Against the Water Bond, Sponsored by Food & Water Watch
FPPC# 1324966