Has the ambitious CalFed water-supply plan run aground?
SAN FRANCISCO — In 1994, a bit of light cracked through the California water wars to coalesce in a federal-state initiative that advocates hoped would sear through decades of intractability over how to manage the state’s crucial water supply in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The much-hyped program was called CalFed, and enthusiasm was high. Politicians, commercial fishers, environmentalists, farmers and water districts all signed on to support what was a multibillion-dollar vision for restoring salmon runs, shoring up levees and ensuring reliable water supplies for farmers and 25 million Californians. Nearly 15 years later, another consensus appears to have emerged. It is less hopeful.
