That decline was a key reason for the long fight that led to the reforms. And indeed the new law puts into writing that the Delta’s environment is equally important to the enormous water demand straining it. State policy also now requires reducing demand for the Delta’s water.
Both are important changes that will remain on the state’s books, even if voters reject an $11 billion water bond on the November 2010 ballot, designed to fuel the law’s provisions.
But many of the changes may not live up to high expectations surrounding the reform package, said Holly Doremus, a University of California, Berkeley, professor of environmental law.
For instance, she said, the new government body created to carry out these changes – the Delta Stewardship Council – doesn’t have the authority to enforce many of its new rules.
Read more here: Water package lacks clout to reverse Delta’s decline