As I write this letter, a long, dreary, rainy winter is coming to an end. And while the rains have put a damper on our winter, they’ve also fed the streams, creeks and rivers that grace California’s mountains, forests and valleys.

Unfortunately, a recent Environment California report finds many of our beloved waterways suffering from the effects of excessive pollution. After surveying government data and other research, our chief clean water advocate, Sujatha Jahagirdar, uncovered a disturbing picture: parts of San Francisco Bay that rank among the nation’s most highly polluted coastal sites; wildlife struggling to survive in Santa Monica Bay’s dirty waters; fish kills on the Klamath River; 60 miles of the San Joaquin River running dry for long stretches of the year.

Now imagine a set of different pictures: Swimmers returning to a clean and healthy Santa Monica Bay. Salmon returning to the San Joaquin River. Clarity returning to the waters of Lake Tahoe. These visions are possible, if government officials exercise the authority they have to order cleanups, protect habitat and prevent additional pollution.

We need them to embrace smart growth and other sensible policies to curb urban runoff. We need agricultural reforms to curb farm-related runoff. We need them to clean up old mining operations and, where the companies are still in business, hold them accountable for the costs. We need them to balance the demands that people put on the water and the land with the needs of wildlife and the habitats that wildlife need to survive.

I suppose life would be simpler if there was one magic solution to our water woes. Yet no single action will solve all of the problems. Many smaller actions will. The key is in starting now, before the problems—and the costs of their remedies—grow.

Sujatha is leading Environment California’s effort to restore the health and beauty of California’s waters. For more on her work, read the article on protecting our waterways and visit our Web site, at www.EnvironmentCalifornia.org.

Sincerely,

Dan Jacobson
Legislative Director