Dear Editor,

Your recent article, “Assemblywoman, farm bureau call for veto of groundwater bills,” fails to mention the more than six months of public meetings and hearings involving agriculture, water districts, business, conservationists and others that went into developing the recently passed groundwater legislation. The Association of California Water Agencies even deployed a task force to garner input from its local water district members.

The majority of Central Valley residents agree, with 75 percent supporting key components of the legislation in a recent poll. The bills strike a balanced approach that puts local agencies in control of developing groundwater management plans that fit their regional needs. It also provides flexibility for locals in how they form these agencies and what tools fit their needs.

The legislation protects property and water rights, and a number of provisions specifically address that in the bill. It also ensures that one person’s pumping does not infringe on another person’s fair share of groundwater.

A great deal of time and input has been spent to craft this historic legislation that will protect groundwater resources, so these supplies will be available in the future to benefit farms and families.

— Lester Snow, executive director, California Water Foundation