Posted on 02/24/2017 10:01:19 PM PST by cakid1
What happened the $7.5 Billion Water Bond Money that voters approved in 2014?
Some are asking that question today after Governor Jerry Brown announced he wants to spend $437 million to deal with California's aging water infrastructure that the Governor says is "maxed out." Exhibit "A' would be crumbling infrastructure at Oroville Dam.
So, what about that Water Bond Measure?
Back in 2014 California voters approved Proposition 1. The $7.5 billion dollar bond measure passed with 67% of the vote.
So far, only about $177 million dollars of that has been spent. According to the Public Policy Institute of California only about 2 percent of the bond money has been spent so far.
That money is suppose to be spend in seven areas: $2.7 Billion for Water Storage, $1.49 Billion to Protect Rivers, $900 Million for Groundwater Sustainability, $810 Million for Drought, $725 Million for Water Recycling, $ 520 Million for Safe Drinking Water and finally $395 Million for Flood Management.
Its that last category "Flood Management " that the Governor wants to tap-into now.
He wants to appropriate $387 Million from Proposition 1 and is requesting another $50 million from the general fund to reach his target of $ 437 Million
At today's news conference at the state Capital Governor Brown said "We've got to belly up to the bar and start spending money."
But some here in the Valley want the state to do the same for water storage. So far, none of the $2.7 billion dollars set aside for water storage has been spent.
Zero.
Mario Santoyo with the San Joaquin Valley Water Infrastructure Authority says " water is one of those commodities that's needed by all of us." Others agree.
For years, many valley farmers and growers have been advocating that the state build the proposed Temperance Flat Dam. The state Water Commission and others point out that approving these projects takes time. It does. And Temperance Flat Dam isn't the only possible project being considered. Officials say they're working through a lengthy process and vetting various options.
In the meantime we have the crumbling infrastructure problem being played out at Oroville Dam. Consider this: The Oroville Dam (the tallest in the U.S.) was started by Governor Jerry Brown's father Governor Pat Brown in 1961. It was finished in 1968 and dedicated by Governor Ronald Reagan. (You can see the dedication on YouTube "The Birth of Oroville Dam" http://bit.ly/2kVDN9N )
That was 1968.
In the meantime California hasn't built a major Dam in 35 years. Our last reservoir the New Melones Dam on the Stanislaus River in Calaveras County was built in 1979. Back then California's population was 15 million people. Since then our population has more than doubled to 38 million people.
Many growers here in the Central Valley think it's time for the state " belly up to the bar and start spending money "
.... On Water Storage.
You go MOONBEAM we have totally Faith you will lead us through the Red Sea or whatever might come or way. SHEEEESH
Those funds may have been obligated for the unending construction of the Train to Nowhere.
It’s called a Shell Game.
“Now you see it, now you never saw it”
I bet its used to offset costs to sanctuary cities and welfare.
“What happened the $7.5 Billion Water Bond Money that voters approved in 2014? “
Crooks are still trying to figure out how to divvy it up to their friends so it will come back in the form of campaign contributions.
“What happened the $7.5 Billion Water Bond Money that voters approved in 2014? “
I vaguely remember several other water bonds passed through the years. What happened to that money?
Hey don't worry. You've got a one-party state. The Democrats have a great track record of investigating themselves.
Bookmark!
Mehico ...
Stupid Californians, did you not know that the lion’s share of YOUR tax money is meant to enrich and entertain the leftists who RULE California? Cali voters complain like a whore who just got a beat-down from her pimp for trying too keep some of her hard-earned money.
So Cali voters, do you feel like an overworked slave caste yet? If you do not then your are either stupid, on the take.l, or BOTH.
If you want to know what happened with the $7.54 billion California Water Bond read:
“Why Trump Should Not Fund Oroville Dam Fix”
It has all the details and links that explain where the bond money has and has not been spent.
It seems to me that an audit is overdue.
Audit time.
My bet is that they created dozens of studies, and blew most of the money on university-connected studies which ended up as a empty pot in the end. If that’s true...I’d go ahead and fire all of the people connected to the funding and the way it was spent.
“Water Bonds”, California style...
2005 - Don’t touch that stove, its hot!
Voters - OW!
2011 - Don’t touch that stove, its hot!
Voters - OW!
2014 - Don’t touch that stove, its hot!
Voters - OW!
You can put anything on a bond measure out here and there are enough idiots here to pass it. If you wanted to actually store water here the best way to fund and get it done would be to word its enabling legislation as so:
“This bond measure would fund acquisition of land and construction of storage capacity to manage excess quantities of hazardous dihydrogen monoxide. Additionally, 40% of the funds would go to the education of K-12 students on the dangers and handling of same.”
You ALWAYS want some mention of children or K-12 in something that wants money here. Extra passage insurance points are gained also by finding any way to insert “diversity”, “homeless”, LGBTQ, or “green” into it.
So don’t build a reservoir, build an impoundment for H2O that will be used to decommission guns through slow oxidation run by preferentially hired LGBTQ and homeless people with a children’s interpretive center on the grounds.
$810mm spent on drought?
What were they buying Perrier? Evian?
It took less than 5 years to build the Hoover Dam, started in 1931 and dedicated by FDR in 1935. The Hoover Dam, at the time, was the largest undertaking of its kind using new engineering techniques that had not yet been proven. And of course its location was problematic for the workers with summer temperatures breaking 110F and sub-zero in the winter.
I am no engineer and I know the Oroville dam is the biggest in the US at 770 feet tall. But Hoover Dam is no slouch at 726 feet. Hoover Dam is made of concrete and its reservoir houses more water than any other man-made lake (Lake Mead) in America. Oroville Dam is not concrete - it is made of various rocks, sand, clay and metals compacted together with plastic and then covered in materials. Obviously both hold back the tide of water - but the Oroville Dam is a type of construction that is known to erode if it overflows - exactly the type of problem it is experiencing right now. Hoover Dam, being concrete, is much less susceptible to this kind of breakage.
That thought crossed my mind, but then I just figured that the politicians would prefer to leave it untouched for 20 years so that future politicians can then pass a law shifting the funds to other public needs like teacher’s unions and their own CalPers retirement fund.
But most likely it’s just that there are too many politicians who have hired even more than too many regulators all being chased by too many special interests to ever come to any worthwhile decision on any topic anywhere.
I was never in favor of the term limit law, and this is the kind of stuff that happens when nobody has to be responsible to the voters. They just sit around spending half their time drafting duplicate gun laws.
Apparently they bought rain with it.
They have more water than they know where to put it all.
Our population? No, Mexico's population doubled and spilled over the Rio Grande. California doesn't need more water, it needs less Democrats.
$1.49 billion to protect rivers. Shows where the priorities are.
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