• Allocates up to $10.7 billion to state water storage needs.
• Amends Article X of the California Constitution making drinking water and irrigation the primary beneficial water use priorities for the people of the state ahead of all other needs.
• Takes spending decisions out of the hands of political appointees and gives them to an elected board representative of the state’s people.

The money would come from redirected funds:

• $8 billion in previously authorized High Speed Rail Bond Funds
• $2.7 billion in previously authorized water bond funds.

Proposition 1’s $2.7 billion in water-storage funds are insufficient to meet the needs of California’s rapidly growing population. The measure redirects and combines High-Speed Rail and water-bond funds and gives control over them to a single elected authority within the California Department of Water Resources.

The initiative will create an elected 8-person board that will authorize the expenditure of funds for the implementation and construction of new water storage facilities in every region of the state, north and south, coastal and inland.

The eight board members will be nominated and elected by the members of California’s 48 Regional Water Management Groups. These include cities, counties, water districts, community groups and others.

Each board member is unique to, and representative of, its region and will hold office for 4 years and will serve no more than 2 four-year terms. http://www.water.ca.gov/irwm/

Members are not compensated. They may receive $100 in expense reimbursement for each day spent tending to the business of the Authority, but not more than $500 in a calendar month.

Even with the benefit of El Nino, most of the rain we receive this winter won’t be captured and will end up in the ocean.