A series of measures designed to overhaul California's ailing water infrastructure has come under increased scrutiny this week since being signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday. Some call the reforms a historic achievement; others say they don't go far enough to tackle the state's complex water problems.

The measures were adopted by the California state legislature last week after an all-night session and signed by Schwarzenegger in the Central Valley, one of the areas hardest hit by the water crisis.  The centerpiece of the package --an $11.1 billion bond measure -- will appear on the ballot for consideration by state voters next fall.

A three-year drought has caused severe water shortages, crop losses and damage to the state's fishing industry.  The plan aims to address these problems by developing new drinking water sources and repairing the delicate Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, which supplies water to two-thirds of the state's residents and is near collapse due to overuse.

The measure would do the following:

• Require that the state's urban areas reduce water use 20 percent by 2020.
• Establish a politically appointed board to act as a steward over the Delta.
• Create new conservation rules, including a comprehensive statewide groundwater monitoring program.
• Finance $40 billion in water-related projects, including a canal that would circumvent the Delta and move water south in an attempt to avoid more environmental damage.

Also included in the bill: $250 million to help pay for the removal of four dams built along the Klamath River, which starts in southeastern Oregon and cuts through the Cascade Mountains and into California's Pacific coast. This comes after a landmark agreement this fall to dismantle the dams to protect native Chinook salmon and other fish species.

It also seeks to provide a more stable water supply for Southern California cities and Central Valley farmers by building dams and underground storage.

But some environmental groups say that the groundwater monitoring program should include the collection of information on water quality, in addition to quantity. Others fear that using a canal to redirect river water will disrupt the Delta's already delicate ecosystem and increase saltwater intrusion into groundwater supplies. Fiscal conservatives are outraged at the hefty price tag during a time of fiscal crisis. And farmers, forced to fallow 500,000 acres of land in the Central Valley this year, complain that relief is still years away.

The administration's next big hurdle lies ahead: selling the bond to voters by November 2010.

Related Stories:

• Delta Blues (Fall 2008 cover story)
• Where Will California Get Its Water?
• Resurrecting a River