McCarthy Demands Action to Increase Central and Southern California Water Supplies

Washington D.C. – Congressman Kevin McCarthy released the following statement after sending a letter to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker demanding they take action to increase water supplies for Central and Southern California:

“It continues to be unacceptable that our constituents do not get the water they contract and pay for in full,” said McCarthy. “Our state needs an affordable and reliable water supply to ensure a strong and vibrant economy, and I call on the Administration to take immediate action to increase vital water supplies for our communities.”

Current projections for water allocations could be as low as 0% for Central Valley Project (CVP) contractors and 5% for California State Water Project (SWP) contractors due to dry conditions that have been exacerbated by water export restrictions over the years that are a result of environmental regulations in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta. This letter was signed by 7 other Congressmen including Reps. Valadao, Nunes, Rohrabacher, Royce, Campbell, Calvert, and Gary Miller.

The attached letter asks the Secretaries to: (1) take immediate action within their agencies’ power to increase water supplies, (2) develop a 2014 operational plan for the CVP and SWP that maximizes water supplies to the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California; and (3) asks for the Administration’s plan to ensure an affordable and reliable water supply over the next decade while long-term solutions to California’s man-made water crises continues.

The letter is attached HERE.