Overview
- Gov. Gavin Newsom told a statewide gathering of water officials he is moving forward aggressively on the Delta Conveyance Project and pressed regulators to move faster.
- The plan calls for an underground tunnel to move Sacramento River water around the Delta to state pumps, which the administration says would capture more storm flows and help protect deliveries during earthquakes.
- Supporters say the project is meant to secure supplies for 27 million people and roughly 750,000 acres of farmland, yet its future hinges on large water districts agreeing to pay for construction.
- A state appeals court rejected the financing plan and the California Supreme Court declined review, and the Department of Water Resources still says it intends to sell bonds as other lawsuits proceed.
- Delta counties and environmental groups condemned the renewed push, warning of harm to water quality, fish and farms and questioning the state's $20.1 billion cost estimate that opponents say could be several times higher.