In 1982, state voters overwhelmingly rejected plans for a peripheral canal around the Delta to improve water reliability and guarantee quality to a thirsty San Joaquin Valley and Southern Californians. Worried they might lose the source of their drinking water, residents dependent on the Delta voted 96 percent against the canal.

So what’s changed in 25 years? Little, except perhaps the motivation for change.

The water that flows to the state and federal pumps northwest of Tracy is still unreliable and the quality remains iffy since the Delta is a swamp with weak levees bordering a salty San Francisco Bay. In spite of conservation, San Joaquin Valley farms and Southern California residents are still thirsty. The only difference is there are 20 million more Californians and another 20 million expected by 2050.

With post-Katrina syndrome and facing global warming and drought issues, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has again morphed into an action hero. Standing on the state government-owned Twitchell Island Tuesday morning, Schwarzenegger directed the Department of Water Resources to take immediate steps to improve conditions in the Delta, help restore its natural habitat and protect the Delta smelt and other animal and plant species.

He left it to his assistants to mouth the words "peripheral canal." And they couched them in softer terms, perhaps to not terrify voters whose livelihoods depend on the Delta. Said Jerry Johns, deputy director of the Department of Water Resources, "The way (the state and federal governments) move the water isn’t the best for the Delta. There are operational issues of facilities versus fish. Once we solve the fish problem (Delta smelt), we can fix the reliability. It will require new infrastructure."

Hence, the governor’s $5.9 billion comprehensive water plan that dedicates $4.5 billion to new dams and reservoirs and state Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata’s proposed $5 billion bond that calls for $2 billion for water storage.

There is a generational difference in the focus on the Delta. In 1982, most state officials didn’t appreciate what Johns Tuesday called "a tremendously important jewel." Today, agreements, laws and court decisions are protecting the Delta. However, this kinder and gentler view shouldn’t preclude us from maintaining our vigilance against water robbery.