Calif. water tunnels under review
Governor wants more water for So. California
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A Northern California water agency will vote Wednesday on whether to give its full support to Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to build two multibillion-dollar tunnels to remake the state’s water system, reversing an earlier decision.
Support from the Santa Clara Valley Water District board could renew momentum behind one of the Democratic governor’s top priorities as he prepares to leave office. The water district’s potential reversal comes just weeks after a state water commission backed funding for a reservoir expansion that is a high priority for the area. Under a previous recommendation, the project wasn’t eligible for money.
Brown wants to build two, 35-mile tunnels to divert water from the north to Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley.
He argues the twin tunnels will modernize California’s water delivery system. But environmental groups fear it would drain too much water from the Sacramento River, the state’s biggest river and part of the largest West Coast estuary.
The Santa Clara water district in October approved only a limited role in the project, committing money for a scaled-back project featuring just one tunnel.
Staff now recommends the board change course and throw its full support behind the project by committing up to $650 million to the construction of both tunnels.
The reversal comes less than two weeks after the California Water Commission staff released a favorable assessment about the public benefits of the district’s Pacheco Reservoir expansion project, for which it is seeking $485 million. The commission’s staff earlier determined the project wasn’t eligible for funds. It was one of five projects found to be worthy of money after they were originally rejected.
The Water Commission consists of Brown appointees who can distribute $2.6 billion from a water bond approved by voters in 2014. It has not made a final decision on the Pacheco Reservoir project.
Estimates say fully funding the tunnels would add $10.26 to each household’s monthly water bill in northern Santa Clara County. Residents further south would pay $4.47 more monthly.