“Critical times require innovative measures,” said Omar Carrillo, senior water analyst for the Community Water Center, an environmental justice group that supports the proposal. “Communities deserve more tools to secure their safe drinking water needs.” He estimated that there are a few dozen small agencies in the Central Valley alone that should be consolidated with larger neighbors.
The proposal, though, has generated intense opposition from water agencies and local government groups. Larger water agencies fear absorbing the expenses and liability of other systems, even as their existing customers face tough state-imposed conservation measures. Smaller agencies, some of which have their own governing boards, criticize the loss of local control.