AS THE California Legislature appears on the brink of making historic water decisions for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the Bay Area is not speaking with a clear voice on the matter. Locally, the Contra Costa Water District has voiced conditional support if changes are made to a package of Delta, governance and water management reforms. Next door, the East Bay Municipal Utility District was opposed to the package as it came to a debate on Sept. 11, with lawmakers tabling the matter for more negotiations.

When a region doesn't speak with a clear voice on an issue as important as water, the region risks having no voice at all. The future of the Bay Area is directly connected to the Delta. Water is central to our quality of life and to our economy. Water is the backdrop to world famous tourist destinations in San Francisco, sustains our vital salmon populations and helps fuel many high-tech businesses in the Bay Area.

That is why when a historic opportunity comes along to address this problem — such as right now — we need to constructively support the reform effort.

Our organizations support the policy package being debated in Sacramento. It would revamp and modernize a Delta water system that creates too many conflicts with fish species. It would direct the necessary habitat restoration in the Bay-Delta ecosystem. And it would improve water management in the estuary and statewide.

As

examples, the legislative package calls for statewide curbs on water use through conservation while accounting for the previous efforts of water districts such as those in the Bay Area. Governance in the Bay-Delta would be improved by the creation of a new Delta Conservancy to oversee restoration activities. There are modest steps to monitor the use of groundwater in the state. And there are calls for a revitalized California Water Commission, following our recommendation, to bring objectivity and sound investment decision-making to the big pending decisions on water conveyance and storage.

For the state and region, this package makes sense. But locally, there were disagreements in September.

A key issue appears to center on the worthy goal of protecting water rights. The East Bay Municipal Utility District, as an example, imports its water from the Sierra Nevada's Mokelumne River. It understandably wants to protect its water rights as efforts to address the Delta crisis proceed downstream. The Contra Costa Water District, on the other hand, diverts its water supply directly from the Delta. It could be directly affected by the worsening ecosystem crisis.

We are convinced that those with senior water rights like EBMUD can be protected by this legislation and districts like Contra Costa could benefit as well. Water rights are embedded in portions of California law that are not rewritten by anything before legislators. What is before us is a process — within existing laws — to ensure that water flows within the Delta and key tributaries are adequate to ensure the integrity of the ecosystem. It's a reasonable approach. And it reflects the philosophy of a region that looks to lead the nation and world on how to blend environmental and economic objectives. We cannot risk being viewed in Sacramento as being uncertain or downright resistant to a historic opportunity to reform the Delta and California water policy.

We need Bay Area water agencies and legislators to join together with other statewide leaders to forge a solid plan for a sustainable water future. We have not been this close to meaningful reform in decades. We cannot let this chance pass us by.

Carl Guardino is president and CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. Jim Wunderman is president and CEO of the Bay Area Council.