Fresno County supervisors want to lead an effort to get bond money to build Temperance Flat Dam on the San Joaquin River when funding becomes available in early 2017.
The dam is seen as critical to improving water supplies and reliability in the central San Joaquin Valley.
The county is being pressed into action after the splintering of the Friant Water Authority, said Supervisor Brian Pacheco. He said the authority was the most likely group to serve as the lead agency in the process before fracturing earlier this year because of disagreements among about half of its 21 member agencies.
Those agencies had differing ideas about the most serious problems the authority was facing in acquiring water.
Now, supervisors want to create a joint powers authority to serve as the lead agency. Kings County supervisors also are expected to discuss the issue Tuesday while supervisors in Madera and Tulare counties will address it over the next few weeks.
Pacheco and Supervisors Henry R. Perea and Buddy Mendes have held meetings with several irrigation districts, water leaders and city officials in recent weeks after it became increasingly apparent the Friant Water Authority was not going to spearhead the effort.
In addition to the four counties, other agencies pledging support to the effort include: Fresno and Madera irrigation districts; Chowchilla Water District; Table Mountain Rancheria; and the cities of Mendota and Orange Cove.