The California Chamber of Commerce-supported California WaterFix project has achieved the next crucial milestone on the road to securing the state’s future water supplies. The long-awaited plan to fix the state’s aging water distribution system received approval from the state Department of Water Resources—a Notice of Determination (NOD)—which is the final approval needed at the state level under the California Environmental Quality Act. Federal Approval In June the federal procedural step was met when the biological opinions (BiOps) from federal agencies responsible for protecting species listed under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) signed off. After extensive environmental reviews that started under the Obama administration, the new BiOps released June 26 from the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found the construction and operations of WaterFix would not jeopardize the future existence of ESA-listed species. Progress Over the last six months, critical strides have been made in moving WaterFix forward, including the issuance of the final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on December 22, 2016. The exhaustive review process for California WaterFix reflects nearly a decade of scientific and public analysis, including nearly a year of public review of the EIR, 600 public meetings throughout the [...]
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