POST Supports the Safe, Clean and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2010
June 11, 2010
November Statewide Bond Measure Critical to Address Problems with Bay Area‘s and California’s Water System
Today, Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), a leading private nonprofit land trust dedicated to preserving open lands of the San Francisco Peninsula and Santa Cruz Mountain range, announced that it has formally endorsed the “Safe, Clean and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2010” on California’s November 2010 statewide ballot. By endorsing this measure, POST joins a growing coalition of environmental groups, business and labor, farmers, water agencies and others working to secure voter approval of the water bond in November.
“POST is pleased to join with other conservation organizations and a broad-based coalition supporting this measure,” said POST President Audrey Rust. “The bond will provide essential funding to help increase local water supplies, enhance the reliability of our water system, clean up drinking water in rural communities, and protect natural areas including major watersheds.”
California’s existing water infrastructure has been neglected for decades, placing the state at risk of catastrophic failure of its water delivery system in the Delta and elsewhere. Passing the water bond will begin reversing decades of damage to our environment and help upgrade the state’s water system to be less harmful to the environment and more responsive to climate change. It will help restore the fragile Delta ecosystem and authorize vital investments in water recycling, groundwater cleanup and water conservation to reduce pressure on the Delta and other rivers and streams. It will also fund one of the most significant ecosystem restoration efforts in the state’s history.
Said Rust, “It would be devastating if California’s water system were to fail. The Delta is the largest natural estuary on the West Coast. It is the hub of both a world-class ecosystem and our state’s water supply. The bond measure will help fund critically needed repairs and upgrades to this outdated system, so we have sources of clean water for people. The bond will also help prevent environmental collapse in areas vital to drinking water and wildlife, supporting key programs for watershed protection, land conservation, climate change planning and ecosystem restoration.”
POST adds its name to a growing coalition of groups supporting the November 2010 water bond, including the California Council of Land Trusts, the California Alliance for Jobs, Association of California Water Agencies, Audubon California, California Chamber of Commerce, San Jose/Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, California Latino Water Coalition, The Nature Conservancy California, Western Growers Association and many other regional and statewide organizations. For more information about the bond measure, please visit www.WaterForCA.com.