Water vote begs question of what’s next?

The Santa Clara Valley Water District Board made the most courageous decision in its history Tuesday when it stood up to direct pressure from Gov. Jerry Brown and rejected his $17 billion plan to build two 35-milelong, four-story-tall tunnels 150 feet und

The unanimous vote begs the huge question of: What next?

We need to ensure Silicon Valley’s water supply while also maintaining the health of the fragile Delta, the largest estuary west of the Mississippi. But the twin tunnels would likely come at a cost of untold billions more than the $17 billion estimate with no promise of more water — unless, at some future time, state leaders decide to actually use the massive capacity of those tunnels to flood Southern California with all the water it wants, destroying the Delta.

This is the only agenda we can see to construct a conveyance of the twin tunnels’ magnitude. The health of the Delta will only improve if more water runs through it — not less.

The water board showed leadership in resolving to commit no money to the twin tunnels but to advocate a significantly smaller, cheaper project with just one tunnel. Cheaper conveyance options are well worth exploring in conjunction with levee stability projects and strategies that could actually make more water available — conservation, recycling, increased storage — without killing the estuary.

The Santa Clara Valley board was adamant that it will not spend a dime of ratepayer money on a Southern California water grab. The “guiding principles” it passed include this warning: “We will not allow Silicon Valley values and priorities to be placed at a disadvantage relative to Central Valley agriculture or Southern California.”

The next move is the governor’s. Fortunately, he has indicated he’s willing to negotiate.

While lobbying board members Monday prior to the meeting, Brown told Chairman John Varela that he was open to changing “the scope” of the project. State Department of Water Resources director Grant Davis, who attended Tuesday’s meeting in San Jose, also said the governor would welcome talks on alternatives.

Any future discussion demands a transparent approach with open discussions on costs, financing and governance.

The biggest challenge could be convincing Southern California water districts to help pay for a project that still could cost around $10 billion but not provide the same huge capacity to carry water south.

Nearly a dozen Southern California districts providing water to Los Angeles and San Diego have voted for the twin tunnel plan — although Westlands Water District, the largest agriculture irrigation district in the nation, has rejected it, saying it didn’t pencil out.

The Santa Clara Valley Water District may well have prevented the governor’s overreaching twin tunnel plan from moving forward, but it doesn’t change the need to get a true “WaterFix” in place. Brown has just one more year as governor to create that legacy.

Yes, to paraphrase our president’s epiphany on health care — it turns out water issues are really complicated. Who knew?