Speaking of which, the end of the millenium, contrary to popular belief, will not occur on New Year's Eve 1999 but on New Year's Eve 2000. That is, December 31, 2000 is officially the last day of the second millenium. Something tells me, however, that next New Year's will get far more attention than that following it -- especially since the "Y2K" bug will strike at midnight that night. But I digress.

What was my point? Oh yes -- there's a lot going on in the world these days, but we mustn't forget to stop and enjoy the holidays. This is the season for togetherness and setting aside time for family and friends. Take advantage of your vacation time and get away from the office and from your work for awhile. Spending just a day with family can make such a difference. (My brother and I haven't seen in each other in four months, so we're heading to Kirkwood today for a day of skiing.) We often forget in our busy schedules to find out what's going on in one another's lives.

To avoid sounding cliche (or is it too late?), I'll leave it at that.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from everyone at CAW and Capitol Enquiry!

-Gabe

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The congratulatory air probably was justified -- at least in part.

But the draft document by the CalFed Bay-Delta Protection Program, the product of four years of negotiations, hearings, interminable workshops and closed-door discussions involving water experts, farmers, environmentalists, regulators, scientists, fishing interests and others didn't offer a specific game plan. Rather, it offered suggestions and the promise of more discussion -- much more discussion -- before a final agreement is hammered out, hopefully by the end of next year.

Babbitt, Wilson and others involved in CalFed acknowledged that solutions to California's water problems have not been reached. They said the CalFed report isn't action, it's not even the promise of action. Rather, it reflects the willingness of diverse and often hostile interests to sit down together and try and work out their differences.

But those deep differences remain, and despite all the public relations value attributed to CalFed, there still remains doubt whether those differences can truly be bridged.

In a nutshell, California is growing and its thirst for water is increasing.

The fundamental problem is this: How do we get a greater and more reliable supply of water to those who need it -- particularly agriculture and the cities -- while avoiding damage to the environment? About four-fifths of California's drinking water flows through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta east of San Francisco, a lush, flood-prone area crisscrossed by crumbling levees. The Delta is a sort of fragile bottleneck, and when water is pumped from the Delta to the farms and cities to the south, its ecosystem runs the risk of damage. A key problem -- there are others -- is to improve the flows through the Delta while retaining its environmental balance.

The problem, as always, also is geographic. Most of California's water is in the rain-rich north. Most of the demand for water is in the arid south and Central Valley.

The basic dispute is between environmentalists and the users of water, such as the growers and the cities. The environmentalists believe water supplies can be assured largely through intelligent and disciplined conservation, not through the building of new dams or reservoirs. But growers, cities and others believe -- and Wilson heartily agrees -- that conservation isn't enough. They say new storage facilities must be developed. And therein lies the core of the dispute: Conservationists believe new facilities could harm the environment.

The $4.4 billion draft blueprint presented by CalFed seeks to steer a middle course between the competing interests. And while a number of interests were pleased with the report, the environmentalists were deeply skeptical.

To woo environmentalists, the CalFed plan included about $1.8 billion for conservation and recycling projects, plus another $1 billion to restore fish and wildlife habitats. There's also money for delta levees, watershed management, water quality and off-stream storage, and some $675 million for proposals to expedite the transfer of water.

The proposal, which covers the next seven to 10 years, does not include a major canal to move more water south around the edge, or periphery, of the Delta, although it leaves that option open in later years. That proposal was rejected by voters in 1982 in a bitter political fight and it remains an open wound among competing water interests.

The real question is whether those who have fought so long and hard over water can come to any meaningful agreement. The supporters of CalFed's report -- which Babbitt described as a "work in progress" -- believe ultimately that they can.

But Babbitt also said the passions aroused by water are "intense indeed."

"In the water wars, when Californians are forming a firing squad, they form a circle facing inwards," Babbitt declared.

Our fingers are crossed.

The [Capitol Action] writing is interesting and informative. The thing I like the most about CAW, though, is that it provokes thought about aspects of government I generally do not consider. I have also found that ideas related in the newsletter will be picked up by the popular press long after I have been reading about the idea for many weeks or months in CAW. You guys are truly cutting edge.

-Elizabeth Kennedy

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