The people of California find and declare that it is necessary and in the public interest to do all of the following:
(a)
Secure and safeguard the integrity of the state’s water supply from catastrophic damage or failure from terrorist acts or other deliberate acts of destruction.
(b)
Provide a safe, clean, affordable, and sufficient water supply to meet the needs of California residents, farms, and businesses.
(c)
Provide adequate financing for balanced implementation of the CALFED Bay-Delta Program to:
(1)
Provide good water quality for all beneficial uses.
(2)
Improve and increase aquatic and terrestrial habitats and improve ecological functions in the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary to support sustainable populations of diverse plant and animal species.
(3)
Reduce the mismatch between Bay-Delta water supplies and current and projected beneficial uses dependent on the Bay-Delta system.
(4)
Reduce the risk to land uses and associated economic activities, water supply, infrastructure, and ecosystems from catastrophic breaching of Delta levees.
(d)
Establish and facilitate integrated regional water management systems and procedures to meet increasing water demands due to significant population growth that is straining local infrastructure and water supplies.
(e)
Improve practices within watersheds to improve water quality, reduce pollution, capture additional storm water runoff, protect and manage groundwater better, and increase water use efficiency.
(f)
Protect urban communities from drought, increase supplies of clean drinking water, reduce dependence on imported water, reduce pollution of rivers, lakes, streams, and coastal waters, and provide habitat for fish and wildlife.
(g)
Invest in projects that further the ability of all Californians to live within California’s basic apportionment of 4.4 million acre-feet per year of Colorado River water pursuant to the Colorado River Water Use Plan.
(h)
Protect, restore, and acquire beaches and coastal uplands, wetlands, and watershed lands along the coast and in San Francisco Bay to protect the quality of drinking water, to keep beaches and coastal waters safe from water pollution, and to provide the wildlife and plant habitat and riparian and wetlands areas needed to support functioning coastal and San Francisco Bay ecosystems for the benefit of the people of California.