Gov. Newsom’s push to advance $20 billion Delta Conveyance tunnel project continues
According to Los Angeles Times, state hearings are continuing as Calif. Governor Newsom fights for approvals to build a $20-billion water tunnel in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Lawyers for both opponents and supporters are engaged in debates over the project.
State officials and Southern California water agencies support the proposed tunnel project as a solution for improving water supply while mitigating effects of climate change. Opponents, including environmental groups, say tunnel construction would be detrimental to both the environment and the Delta region.
Governor Gavin Newsom is pushing to advance the project before his term expires, and the State Water Resources Control Board is considering whether to grant a key authorization, Los Angeles Times reported.
The board has begun holding a series of hearings on a petition by the Newsom administration to amend water rights permits so that flows could be diverted from new points on the Sacramento River where the intakes of the 45-mile tunnel would be built.
The Newsom administration and water agencies have begun to push back against how the board’s officials are handling parts of the process. Opponents of the project are urging the board not to give in to political pressure.
Supporters of the Delta Conveyance Project say California urgently needs to build new infrastructure in the Delta to protect the water supply in the face of climate change and earthquake risks. Large Southern California water agencies are supporting the project by providing initial funding for planning work.
Opponents, including Northern California agencies, environmental advocates and Native tribes, argue that the state should pursue other alternatives that keep environmental interests in mind rather than a project that will only benefit large developers and agricultural landowners in the region.
The tunnel would create a second route to transport water to the state’s pumping facilities on the south side of the Delta, where supplies enter the aqueducts of the State Water Project and are delivered to 27 million people and 750,000 acres of farmland.
Newsom has repeatedly voiced strong support for the project, writing in a letter to the state water board in February that "California's prosperity depends on it."
Related News
From Archive
- Intrepid Fiber breaks ground on fiber optic network in Superior, Colo.
- Excavator collides with I-95 overpass in Henrico, Va., causing multi-vehicle crash
- Shrewsbury, Mass., expands sewer inspections and cleaning efforts
- Construction worker killed in trench collapse near Prosperity, S.C.
- Two workers rescued after hours trapped in Mich. trench collapse
- Texas contractor penalized by OSHA for repeated trench safety violations
- Final construction phase kicks off for Indianapolis deep rock tunnel
- WES tunnel boring machine retrieved from Oregon river after seven-month project
- Illinois overhauls Peoples Gas pipeline program, mandates focus on high-risk pipes
- Ameren Illinois to invest $140 million in natural gas pipeline replacement program
Comments