The legislation, which deals with conservation, ecosystem restoration and water rights, aims to break the stalemate over state water policy. But the Democratic proposals are already under fire from some interests that fear they are a blueprint for jamming through big construction projects, such as a canal that would carry water around the delta. The legislation, which will be fleshed out in a conference committee when lawmakers return to Sacramento, the capital, later this month, does not specifically authorize any projects. Rather it creates a Delta Stewardship Council, which would have the authority to pursue delta restoration work and a 'water conveyance facility.' Four of the council's seven members would be appointed by the governor and two by the Legislature. The seventh would be the chair of the Delta Protection Commission. The bills call for water conservation and delta protections. They would also set in motion a potentially explosive examination of water rights in the delta watershed. 'Neither the delta ecosystem nor the state's water needs have been well served by decades of benign neglect,' said state Sen. Joe Simitian, author of one of five bills in the package and chairman of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. 'The system of governance is broken and the system of conveyance is broken.' Backers hope a confluence of factors has created a window for action on the state's water problems, pushed into the headlines this year by drought and environmental restrictions on delta pumping. They aim to get the package to the Assembly and Senate for floor votes before the Legislature's mid-September adjournment. Only majority approval is required for the bills, meaning Democrats would need little Republican support for the measures. But that does not necessarily mean smooth sailing. Delta farm interests and some environmentalists are wary of anything that could clear the way for a delta canal, a version of which was killed by California voters in the early 1980s. 'It's a fairly global, comprehensive package,' said Jeffrey Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which imports water from the delta. 'Whenever you do that, you're taking on a lot of sacred cows.' (Optional add end) Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has called for construction of new reservoirs and indicated support for a delta canal, said in a statement that 'fixing California's broken water system cannot be put off any longer; we must get it done this session.' 'I look forward to reviewing their proposal and working in a quick and bipartisan way toward a comprehensive water plan that focuses on water supply reliability, conservation, environmental protection and increased storage.' 