California is one step closer to advancing a substantial, multibillion-dollar water conveyance project to construction. The Delta Stewardship Council earlier this month upheld most of the Delta Conveyance Project’s certification, leaving only two technical issues for further review.
The proposed project would construct a single tunnel to move water beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, creating a new intake and conveyance route for the State Water Project while replacing aging infrastructure that now relies on channels through the Delta.
State officials say the project is needed to protect water deliveries for 27 million people and 750,000 acres of farmland while reducing risks from earthquakes, flooding, sea level rise and climate-driven disruptions to the existing system.
The council voted April 24 to deny most appeals challenging the Department of Water Resources’ certification of consistency with the Delta Plan, but sent two narrower issues back to the department for additional review. The decision narrows one of the project’s remaining regulatory hurdles, though additional approvals are still required.
The Delta Conveyance Project has been under review for years and still faces additional permits, financing decisions and potential litigation before construction can begin. State estimates have placed the cost in the tens of billions of dollars.
For engineering, construction and environmental firms, the project could generate future opportunities in tunneling, shafts, intakes, pumping facilities, utility relocation, habitat mitigation and support services, pending final approvals.
Photo by worldislandinfo.com, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
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