Efficient Water Use in California

Focuses on water supply planning in California. Identifies past and current goals and objectives of the water planning programs of California's Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Tracks and compares the planning processes and procedures of these two agencies using as case studies the Bureau's San Felipe Project and the DWR's Peripheral Canal. Finally, the study identifies legal and institutional constraints that can further hamper both agencies' efficient planning procedures. Congress has given the Bureau much more specific goals and objectives than the Legislature has given the DWR. Consequently, the DWR's goals suffer from broad and sometimes divergent interpretations, which have an impact on the DWR's planning process. The Bureau's benefit-cost procedures can lead to accurate assessment of benefits and costs if they choose correct analysis parameters. The DWR does not currently have specific planning guidelines and criteria; they only estimate the costs of new projects.