COM!!IITTEESVICE CHAIR: LOCAL GOVERNI\.'lENTGOVER hI IVIENTAL ORGAN iZATiONIHiGHER EDUCATIONAGIT.IG AND LONG-TERM CAREARTS. ENTERTAINMENT. SPORTS, TOURISM AND

iNTERNET MEDIA

SELEET COMMITTEESCHAIR: AGRICULTURE AND THE ENVIRONI\4ENTBIOTECHI.JOLOGYW!I.JE

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N4ARC LEVINEASSEIvIBLYMEMBER, TENTH DlSTRlCl.

August 21,2013

The Honorable Antliony RendonChair, Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife CommitteeState Capitol, Room 2136Sacramento, CA 95814

Dear Assemblymember Rendon:

fhank you fbr inviting my input on the water bond. I am writing to comment on the principlesof the Clean Drinking Water & Climate Change Response Act of 2014.

I applaud your eftbrts on this vital issue. As you know, there are no silver bullets. We cannotbuild or store our way to a sustainable water system and a menu of policies will be necessary toensure that competing needs are met. With that in mind, I would like to ask that some porlion ofthe bond be dedicated to agricultural rvater conservation.

The Department of Water Resources details conservation measures fbr both on-farm waterconservation and irrigation district system improvements. We have funded those practicesthlough previous waler bonds and those programs have been oversubscribed. It makes sense tocontinue these efiorts.

Agriculture accounts lor 80% of developed water use in California. Because of this I feelstrongly that conservation efforts, with a parlicular emphasis on agricultural conservation, needdedicated funding in the Act. We must build on conservation efforts by creating incentives fbrreducing net water use in ways that recognize water rights. but that also result in water savingsthat benefit the state as a whole. This could be administered through either the Regional WaterManagement Groups directly or through the Department of Water Resources or both.

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PrinteC otl Recycled Peper

STATE CAPiTOLPO. BOX 942849

SAcRAMENTO. CA 94249-001 0(916) 319-2010

FAX (916) 319-2110

DISTRICT OFFICES3501 CIVIC CEI'lTEfi DRIVE. ROOM 412

SAN RAFAEL. CA 94903(415) 479-492C

FAX (415) 479-2123

11 ENGLISH STREETPETALUMA, CA 94952

17o7l 773-0646

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E-MAIL Assemblymember.Levine @ assembly.ca. go,r

WEBSITE www.assembly.ca. gov/Levine

August 2I,20I3The Honorable Anthony Rendon

Page2

Conservation is a small but signihcant component for solving our water needs. Greater

efficiency through conservation will improve our environment, enhance our ability to adapt to

changing water availability, and return more water to the system.

I welcome the opportunity to discuss further the role that conservation can play as the Actdevelops in the coming weeks.

MARC LEVINEAssemblymember, 1 Oth District

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