#1: WATER
“I think down the road there’s a lot of opportunity for cooperation between the city and the county in terms of water management,” Brand said. “We both have this big interest in ag.”
More storage is of prime importance. That means persuading federal and state officials to loosen the purse strings and cut environmental red tape. A united city-county front will help in that arena, Brand said.
Then there’s the state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
“In the next five years, with everything we’re getting done – the water treatment plant, the reclamation project, the purple pipe system and some other ideas – I think Fresno is in a very good position to be the leader in California on water,” Brand said. “And that water is not just for sustaining the lives of people. That’s also water for industry such as food manufacturing. I’m really excited about that.”
In other words, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act will force the city and the county to be teammates.
