South Bay backs delta tunnels
Water district, in new vote, will give $650 million to governor’s project
The South Bay’s largest water agency gave a big lift to Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan for a pair of water conveyance tunnels through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta on Tuesday, committing $650 million to the effort.
The $17 billion tunnels project, which would help move water from Northern California to the drier south, has been among the governor’s top priorities but has lacked the necessary funding to move forward.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District came out against the proposal in October, reiterating a common concern that the cost of the tunnels might not justify the unknown boost in water supplies, but reversed itself with this week’s 4-3 vote by the agency’s board. The majority agreed the project will ensure steadier water deliveries, even if they can’t quantify the benefit.
“Simply put, this courageous decision will help 2 million Santa Clarans have a more reliable water supply,” the governor said in a statement after the board meeting.
The agency’s vote follows a similar decision last month by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the state’s largest residential water provider. After backing away from the project over cost concerns, the district decided to provide $11 billion to the tunnels, giving new momentum to the then-idling effort.
Brown has heralded the
proposed 35-mile delta tunnels, formally called California WaterFix, as the best way to make sure the Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley and Southern California get a share of the far north’s more plentiful water supplies. Concerns about fish and other wildlife in the delta often slow north-south deliveries as state and federal water officials limit pumping to protect the estuary.
But the plan is controversial. While Brown and the California Department of Water Resources say massive tunnels beneath the area will limit the disruptive pumping and protect the wildlife above, many fear the project will only lead to more Northern California water being shipped south, stripping the delta of its needed supply.
“We have worked extensively to attempt to stop litigation and to focus on positive solutions for delta and state water management,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of the environmental group Restore the Delta, which opposes the tunnel plan. “But DWR, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and Gov. Brown insist on forcing the project on Californians. Litigation is a form of collaboration, and the next chapter of this fight that is far from over.”
The courts may indeed have final say over the tunnels as problems with financing dwindle. While the state’s largest agricultural water supplier, Westlands Water District, remains unsupportive of the project, others have stepped up.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District’s board said its change of course came largely as a result of the agency’s financial risk being lessened by Southern California’s Metropolitan district’s recent decision to pick up so much of the tab.
“Protecting water supplies for homes and businesses in Silicon Valley is a top priority, and we’re still working to get the best deal for the residents and businesses here,” said board member Tony Estremera. “This is just the first step in a long effort to secure our water supplies.”
The Santa Clara Valley Water District gets about half its water from Northern California reservoirs, and sells it to many cities and water agencies in the South Bay.
District officials have estimated that contributing to the tunnels plan would prompt water rates for South Bay households to rise gradually over future years, by an average of $10.26 a month in 2033.