Jennifer Witherspoon is the California Communications Director at EDF.

I was thrilled to learn from the most recent Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) survey, Californians and the Environment that half of the Californians polled prefer that the state focus on conservation and efficient use of current water supply, while only 43 percent favor building storage systems and increasing water supply. Remarkably, the poll also found that nearly one out of five Californians named water supply and drought as the most important environmental issue, a nearly four-fold percentage increase from last year's poll.

To me, these numbers are an indication that an environmental ethic is still running strong in the Golden State. Voters intrinsically understand that we can meet our current water supply needs for farms, urban areas, and protect our precious natural resources like the unique estuary known as the Bay-Delta and the fisheries and fishermen that depend upon it.

The timing of this poll is impeccable—in the coming weeks the State Legislature is expected to turn its attention to water. It is likely that the Senate Natural Resources Committee and the Assembly Water, Parks & Wildlife Committee will hold a joint informational session on Tuesday, August 18 on a package of Bay-Delta water-related measures. This hearing may be the first of several intended to set the stage for legislation this session. At least five bills are expected though details on the legislation remain to be seen.

Let’s hope the legislators are willing to think outside the box on how we use water in California, creating savings by using water more efficiently. Hopefully they’ll take heed of the new PPIC survey and see that half of Californians are ready to “flex their power” and “Save Our H20.”