California lawmakers waded part of the way late Monday through a landmark set of proposals to revive the state's creaking water system, and legislative leaders predicted they would finish the job today.
Before adjourning shortly after midnight, the state Senate approved bills that would change the way the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is managed; set ambitious new statewide goals for water conservation, and ask voters next year to approve a $9.99 billion bond package that would pay for water-related projects ranging from dams to recycling.
Two other bills, which would require local water agencies to monitor underground water levels and increase penalties for illegal water diversions, fell just short of approval.
Except for the bond measure, all of the bills are "co-joined," which means they all must be approved for any of them to take effect. But Senate President Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, predicted he would have the votes today to push them through.