California bond allows private companies control of water

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Water privatization sneaks into $11.1B water bond in California under a little-noticed provision.

Private companies could make a profit by selling water back to the public under a little-noticed provision in California’s $11.1 billion water bond. In a state where water is an especially precious resource, this provision may become controversial as it goes before voters in 2010.

California Sen. Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, introduced the proposal and says it provides the state with flexibility in financing state water projects.

But as California’s population grows, and water becomes scarcer than ever, critics worry that giving control of this resource to private companies is a recipe for disaster.

The bond bill doesn’t specifically mention the possibility that private companies could profit from water storage projects and few lawmakers, water experts and water privatization opponents even noticed the provision’s inclusion. The bond has already been approved by state legislature.

But according to the San Francisco Chronicle, the bond allows for the creation of joint powers authorities who "may include in their membership governmental and nongovernmental partners that are not located within their respective hydrologic regions in financing the surface storage projects."

Those authorities would "own, govern, manage and operate a surface storage project."
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/stories/california-bond-allows-private-companies-control-of-water

Somebody better pay attention and spread the word.