California Delta Tunnels: The Project Is Flowing Along
Just a few month ago, the Delta Tunnels, dubbed the WaterFix, was sputtering due to a lack of funds and environmental hurdles. Governor Jerry Brown’s administration was forced to consider a phased-in approach that called for building one tunnel, followed by a second tunnel only if enough money became available. The tunnel project was… Read more »
Update: The Future of the California WaterFix and Delta Tunnels
After state officials said that they will press ahead with a scaled-down, $10.7-billion version of the long-planned Delta Tunnels, the massive two-tunnel project in the heart of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is still a viable option, in large part, thanks to Southern California’s most powerful water agency. The decision to pursue a one-tunnel project that… Read more »
Delta Tunnels Could Be Scaled to a One-Tunnel Project
Faced with scarce political support and incomplete funding from water agencies in California, Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration is proposing a scaled-back project to his original $17-billion proposal to build two massive tunnels under that Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta that would make it easier to divert water from Northern to Southern California. Instead of two… Read more »
Some California Farms Safe From Eminent Domain – At Least For The Time Being
In series of blows, the twin tunnels – a project intended to remake the troubled San Joaquin estuary and improve water deliveries to the southern half of California – has been put into serious question. In a landmark vote, Silicon Valley’s largest water agency unanimously rejected Gov. Jerry Brown’s $17.1 billion pet project. The… Read more »
Charges Over Improper Subsidies Could Make Delta Tunnels Dead In The Water
Opponents of the Delta tunnels project, who have been trying to stop the project based on environmental grounds, are now trying to kill it through its financial structure. This comes just after federal auditors says $50 million in taxpayer funds were used improperly to subsidize planning in the San Joaquin Valley irrigation districts. Through… Read more »
County Officials, Environmentalists, and Farmers Rising to Oppose Twin Delta Tunnel Project
Butte County has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Water Resources over their “WaterFix” plan to bury a pair of tunnels underneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and move water from the Sacramento River to southern California. The county supervisors unanimously voted last month to file the lawsuit. The suit is based on a… Read more »
Delta Twin Tunnel Project Flowing Towards Approval
California Gov. Jerry Brown’s controversial water-diversion project in Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta area was given the green light by federal wildlife agencies as the state continues to seek required permits that are critical to starting construction on the project. The $17-billion plan would build two massive, 35-mile-long tunnels under the delta that moves water from… Read more »
California Supreme Court Restores Public Agencies’ Ability to Conduct Surveys Without First Filing Eminent Domain
On Thursday of last week, the California Supreme Court in the case Property Reserve, Inc. v. Superior Court of San Joaquin County ruled that government officials don’t need to go through a formal eminent domain process before they can survey private property. This decision reverses the ruling made by the Court of Appeal, which concluded… Read more »