$19 Billion Twin Tunnels Project is Dead - Long Live Sustainable Water Program for California!
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Government
Gov. Gavin Newsom set a welcome new course on California water issues Thursday when he officially killed the $19 billion Delta twin tunnels project, reports Paul Rogers for the Mercury News.
One of the state’s biggest long-term challenge is securing a reliable source of water for residents, businesses and farmers without destroying the environment. The problem is further exacerbated by the anticipated impacts of climate change.
We never understood former Gov. Jerry Brown’s stubborn support of the twin-tunnels effort, which involved digging the equivalent of a 10-lane freeway, 150 feet underground - says Rogers in his report and continues: Nor could we fathom why the Santa Clara Valley Water District board voted to support the project, knowing that the governor had essentially turned the boondoggle over to Southern California’s Metropolitan Water District to run.
It threatened to be the biggest water grab in state history. It didn’t pencil out financially. It didn’t pass muster with scientists studying the Delta’s health. And, worst of all, it wouldn’t add a drop of new water to the state’s supply.
Instead, the Newsom administration said Thursday that the governor will embrace a more-sustainable water policy that emphasizes conservation and creation of new supplies of renewable water. He also wants to fix the fragile Delta levees and explore the merits of a cheaper, single Delta tunnel.
“A smaller project, coordinated with a wide variety of actions to strengthen existing levee protections, protect Delta water quality, recharge depleted groundwater reserves and strengthen local water supplies across the state will build California’s water supply resilience,” California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot said in a statement released Thursday.
Read the complete report on The Mercury News
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Attached link
https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/05/05/editorial-governor-sets-new-course-on-delta/Media
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