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1970 Passage of the National Environmental Quality Act (NEPAl. the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the Calitornia Endangered Species Act (CESA). 1972 California Legislature passes its own Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to preserve the north coast's remaining free-flowing rivers from development. Federal Clean Water Act (CWA) passed to clean up the nation's polluted waters. 1973 First SWP deliveries to southern Calitornia. 1974 Congress passes the Safe Drinking Water Act. 1978 State Board issues Water Rights Decision 1485 setting Delta water quality standards. 1980 State designated wild and scenic rivers placed under federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act protection. 1982 Proposition 9 (SB 200), the Peripheral Canal package. is overwhelmingly deteated in a statewide vote. Reclamation Reform Act raises from 160 acres to 960 acres, the amount of land a tarmer can own and still receive low-cost federal water. 1983 California Supreme Court in National Audubon Society v. Superior Court rules that the public trust doctrine applies to Los Angeles' diversion from tributary streams of Mono Lake. Dead and deformed watertowl discovered at Kesterson Reservoir, alerting people to problems of selenium-tainted agricultural drainage water. 1986 Ruling by the State Court of Appeals (Racanelli Decision) directs the State Board to consider all beneficial uses, including instream needs, of Delta water when setting water quality standards. Passage of the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act (Proposition 65) prohibiting the discharge of toxic chemicals into state waters. Coordinated Operation Agreement tor CVP and SWP operations in the Delta signed. Severe flooding nearly tops levees in Sacramento. 1987 State Board's Bay-Delta Proceedings begin to revise D-1485 water quality standards. 1989 In a separate challenge to Los Angeles' Mono Basins water rights, an appellate court holds that fish are a publiC trust resource in California Trout v. State Water Resources Control Board. MWD and Imperial Irrigation District agree that MWD will pay for agricultural water conservation projects and receive the water conserved. '. '. , '. ~ . . '.' ,', ,", . , ,~.'!'-t:C?i~~i,Wii.~..i :{{~"l:-:;: 1991 Memorandum of Understanding signed to implement urban water conservation programs. Inyo County and the city of Los Angeles agree to jointly manage Owens Valley water, ending 19-years ot litigation. The West Coast's first municipal sea water desalination plant opens on Catalina Island. 1992 Congress approves landmark CVP Improve- ment Act. 1993 The federal court for the Eastern District in California in Natural Resource Defense Council v. Patterson rules that the CVP must conform with state law requiring release of flows for fishery preservation below dams. Arizona's CAP declared complete by Ihe federal government. 1994 State Board amends Los Angeles' water rights licenses to Mono Lake. Bay-Delta Accord sets interim water quality standards to protect Delta estuary and provide water supply reliability. 1995 State Board adopts new water quality plan for the Delta and begins hearings on water rights. 1997 New Year's storms cause state's second most devastating flood of the century. SWP's Santa Barbara Aqueduct completed. 1998 CALFED Bay-Delta Program continues efforts to forge a long-term plan to "fix" the Delta. California Colorado River users struggle to de- velop a plan to reduce state's use of river water under pressure from Interior Department and other six Colorado River states. 1999 Splittail minnow and spring-run chinook salmon add to endangered species list. 2000 CALFED releases Framework for Stage 1 of the statewide project. ~I'" "......~. :Jl' ..~ J ':'~f _ ...~",~~..- .' ..'. ;. ....]' '-~ Lake Orm'ille Oil the Feathl'" Rin-'r - ,he State Water Projl'ct'S largest storage resenoir - during drought conditions ill Fehruary /99/. 5