CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SACRAMENTO : Showdown on Desalinated Water Averted

An anticipated political showdown over a bill forcing water agencies such as the Metropolitan Water District to buy desalinated water was averted when consideration of the measure was postponed. Assemblyman Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles) asked the Senate Appropriations Committee for more time to iron out differences with water agencies such asMWD. Polanco’s bill would create a guaranteed market for prospective desalination plants by forcing MWD and other water agencies to buy up to 8% of their supply of purified seawater. MWD officials say they believe Southern California Edison is behind the bill because desalination plants are energy-intensive and need large amounts of electricity to operate.