Report outlines 2016 California Water Action Plan accomplishments

Progress made in 2016 on the California Water Action Plan is outlined in a new report prepared by several California agencies.

The Water Action Plan began in 2014 and features a five-year outline with 10 overarching goals designed to bring sustainability to California’s water resources and restoration to its most important ecosystems, the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) said in a news release.

“We built momentum in 2016 that we intend to maintain in 2017 and beyond,” John Laird, California natural resources secretary, said in the release. “United by the Water Action Plan goals and enabled by the Proposition 1 funds, we are making investments that will pay off for generations to come.”

The main objectives include making conservation a way of life, increasing regional self-reliance in water supplies, managing and preparing for dry periods and providing safe water for all communities, CalEPA said. The plan is the base for expenditures under Proposition 1, the $7.5 billion water bond passed overwhelmingly by California voters in November 2014, CalEPA said.

“This plan is critically important beyond the year-to-year fluctuations we experience in precipitation,” Karen Ross, California agriculture secretary, said in a news release.

Matt Rodriquez, CalEPA secretary, said the drought has highlighted the challenges California faces under climate change. “The Water Action Plan serves as an invaluable guide to ensure that our short-term responses to the drought are also being translated into actions that make our water system more sustainable and resilient over the long term.”

The progress report on the Water Action Plan was prepared by CalEPA, the California Natural Resources Agency and the California Department of Food and Agriculture.