GRA recently received a letter from Cruz M. Bustamante, Speaker of the Assembly, California Legislature, requesting input and comments on California water issues from our perspective. In his letter, Assemblyman Bustamante indicates the following:

• "The distribution of California's variable water supplies has been the most controversial issue in the history of California. And this fight between competing interests over the development and management of California's most precious and vital resource will continue for decades given the state's unprecedented growth.

  The California State Assembly began the 1997-98 legislative session with many new Democratic assembly members dedicated to finding reasonable and sensible solutions to the state's complicated water issues. Representing districts as diverse as central valley farmlands, urban big cities, and rural coastal areas, each Member's district faces unique needs and demands for an overall water policy that respects the requirements of all Californians."

Assemblyman Bustamante's office will be preparing a California water "guide" for caucus members. They hope that they can make this guide as thorough and comprehensive as possible, therefore, they have asked for comments and input from GRA and a variety of other organizations.

Because GRA's membership is diverse, I open this request to all our membership and ask, "from your perspective, what do you see as the most pressing California water issues?" We will be dedicating a portion of our next HydroVisions to publishing your responses. These responses will in turn be forwarded on to Assemblyman Bustamante's office. Please keep your responses brief and to the point. We reserve the right to edit those responses that we view as too lengthy for publication. Responses forwarded to Bustamante's office will not be edited. On your responses please provide your full name, address, and phone number that you can be reached during the daytime. Responses without proper identification, will not be published nor forwarded to Bustamante's office.

Please provide your response by e-mail to: editor@grac.org and cc a copy to me at sgarcia5@compuserve.com. Hard copy responses with diskette will also be accepted at GRA, CA Water Issues, P.O. Box 1446, Sacramento, CA 95812. I encourage all our membership to please provide us with your input, such as provided by one of our newest members in the form of a letter to the editor in this issue.

I have prepared a brief list of items that I believe represent some of the most pressing water issues facing California. In addition, I pose a list of questions that may facilitate your preparing a response to this request. These items are not listed in any order of preference.

• Interbasin water transfers
• Groundwater overdraft conditions
• Seawater intrusion and saline waters
• Non-point pollution problems, who should pay for cleanup?
• Should we re-examine how we handle the treated wastewater and require re-use?
• What is the true cost of water and are we undervaluing our water?
• Can desalination plants become economically feasible and will deregulation of our electrical power have some impact?
• Should we continue to approve development projects that have nebulous plans for providing water to their future constituency?
• Should we expand our current use of tertiary-treated, reclaimed water to direct consumption?
• How do we implement statewide water management strategies that overcome historical local biases?
• Should we be transferring water from agriculture for urban use?
• Should the bottle water industry be permitted to remove groundwater supplies for out of basin and state water sales?

Here are some recent headlines from the Los Angeles Times that may spark your interest:

• "Southland's Water Future May Hinge on Bitter Dispute, Battle: L.A. - based agency fears San Diego's bid for Imperial Valley supplies will hurt region. Mediation, new law or courts could settle feud--and lead to higher rates." August 3, 1997
• "Water Deal Splits San Joaquin Valley, Resources: MWD crafts plan for transfer from southern district to urban use. Northern farmers, fearing effects on agriculture, join environmentalists in opposition." July 29, 1997
• "Reclaimed Waste Water May Ease State's Thirst, Recycling: Despite 'yuck' factor, the practice is on the rise. San Diego is at cutting edge of what backers see as wave of future: sending treated sewage back to the tap." August 17, 1997

Comments should be received by October 31 for inclusion in our next HydroVisions. I look forward to receiving your comments.

Other Items
GRA voted on revisions to their bylaws during our 1997 Annual Meeting being held as part of the 21st Biennial Ground Water Conference on September 16, 1997. Proposed revisions to GRA's Bylaws are provided in this HydroVisions. Steve Goldberg, GRA Director, has provided us with the rationale for these changes in this HydroVisions. We thank Steve and the Bylaw Committee for their time and effort in developing these changes.