{"id":273176,"date":"2024-05-18T23:45:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-19T06:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesofsandiego.com\/?p=273176"},"modified":"2024-05-19T07:56:35","modified_gmt":"2024-05-19T14:56:35","slug":"benefits-of-controversial-delta-tunnel-said-to-far-exceed-20-billion-price","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesofsandiego.com\/tech\/2024\/05\/18\/benefits-of-controversial-delta-tunnel-said-to-far-exceed-20-billion-price\/","title":{"rendered":"Benefits of Controversial Delta Tunnel Said to Far Exceed $20 Billion Price"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Sacramento-San<\/a>
Aerial view of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Courtesy Department of Water Resources<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

California\u2019s contentious and long-debated plan to replumb the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and pump more water south finally has a price tag: about $20 billion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new estimate for the Delta tunnel project<\/a> \u2014 which would transform the massive water system that sends Northern California water south to farms and cities \u2014 is $4 billion higher than a 2020 estimate, largely because of inflation.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"CalMatters<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Included is almost $1.2 billion to offset local harms and environmental damage, such as impacts on salmon and rare fish<\/a> that state officials have called \u201cpotentially significant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goal of the project is to collect and deliver more water to two-thirds of California\u2019s population and 750,000 acres of farmland during wet periods, shore up supplies against the threats of climate change and protect the system from earthquakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But environmental groups and many Delta residents have long warned that the tunnel could put the imperiled Delta ecosystem at even greater risk, sapping freshwater flows needed for fish, farms and communities in the region. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tunnel has been the focus of intense debate in California for more than 60 years<\/a>. It\u2019s the epicenter of water wars that have pitted Delta locals, environmentalists, tribes and the fishing industry against state officials and water agencies that supply cities and farms, mostly in Southern California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new report from the state Department of Water Resources comes as state water regulators weigh competing rescue plans<\/a> for a region they have described as \u201cin crisis\u201d and in the midst of an \u201cecosystem collapse.\u201d<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gov. Gavin Newsom backs the proposed project<\/a>, calling it his \u201cnumber one climate resilience program\u201d and saying he hopes to get it permitted before he leaves office. The 45-mile tunnel would transport water from the Sacramento River around the Delta to a reservoir near Livermore, the first stop on the 444-mile<\/a> California Aqueduct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new estimate and report will help water suppliers<\/a> in Southern California, the Central Coast and the Bay Area weigh whether it\u2019s cost effective for them to buy the tunnel\u2019s water. The state would issue revenue bonds to fund the project, then suppliers would have to pay back the costs<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water agencies, such as the giant Metropolitan Water District of Southern California<\/a>, are expected to have all of the information they need to decide by the end of 2026, said Karla Nemeth<\/a>, director of the Department of Water Resources, which operates the state\u2019s massive water system.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe questions are how can this project be implemented, what kind of assurances can we have in the resilience it provides to the Delta and our water supply future, and at what price<\/a>?\u201d Adel Hagekhalil, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District, said in a statement. He said the cost estimate  \u201cbrings us closer to understanding that equation.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Delta<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Building the tunnel could take until at least 2044, with construction expected to start around 2029 and last roughly 15 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Had the tunnel been in place this year, it could have funneled 909,000 additional acre-feet of water south from intakes in the north Delta, according to state water officials. That\u2019s nearly enough water to fill Folsom Lake, and could supply more than 9.5 million people for a year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The total benefits of the project \u2014 calculated at around $38 billion \u2014 far outweigh the costs, according to the report, with every dollar spent expected to reap $2.20 in benefits. \u201cIn other words, doing nothing is more expensive,\u201d said David Sunding, a UC Berkeley emeritus professor of environmental economics who led the cost-benefit analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sunding said water deliveries from the tunnel would cost about $1,325 per acre-foot \u2014 less than the average cost for water generated by desalination, recycling and stormwater capture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter Gleick, co-founder of the Pacific Institute, a global water think-tank, said he has serious concerns about the analysis and whether it accounts for the real costs of construction and water treatment and distribution. He called for \u201cfar more and better\u201d economic and environmental assessments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis project gets more expensive every single time a new version is proposed, and this type of project has never been brought to completion under budget,\u201d he said. \u201cWater conservation and efficiency improvements are far cheaper than the Delta project.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One major benefit to a tunnel, Sunding said, is earthquake preparedness for the state\u2019s water delivery system, which is crossed by the major Hayward and San Andreas faults. A catastrophic earthquake that crumbles levees could interrupt water deliveries for nearly seven months and degrade water quality for almost another year. Sunding said the tunnel would, ideally, allow water deliveries to continue in some form after quakes, or at least protect water quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tunnel could also increase water exports from the Sacramento River when pumping from the south Delta is limited to protect threatened and endangered species, Nemeth said. Thousands of threatened steelhead trout<\/a> and endangered winter-run<\/a> Chinook salmon have died this year from the pumping, according to state and federal estimates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But conservationists warn that a tunnel wouldn\u2019t reduce the risk to fish: The existing pumps would still be operational \u2014 posing a continued threat to protected species. Environmental groups and fishing organizations have sued over the project<\/a>, saying adding the tunnel would further reduce freshwater flows \u2014 increasing salt levels and harmful algal blooms, and harming native fish. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tribes and environmental justice organizations also oppose the state\u2019s application for a change in water rights to build and operate the tunnel<\/a>. \u201cThe injurious impacts of mismanagement in the Bay-Delta can no longer be endured<\/a> by Tribes and Delta communities,\u201d Malissa Tayaba, vice chair of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, said in a statement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jon Rosenfield, science director of San Francisco Baykeeper, called it \u201cjust the latest version of a plain old water grab.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The state\u2019s own environmental analysis warned two years ago<\/a> that the tunnel could harm endangered and threatened fish, including the Delta smelt<\/a>, winter-run chinook salmon<\/a> and steelhead trout<\/a>. Changes to flows at the intakes or downstream, for instance, could reduce migration, damage habitat and expose salmon and other native fish to more predators. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The analysis calls for thousands of acres of wetland restoration to offset the \u201cpotentially significant impacts\u201d \u2014 projects that critics say have historically been slow and inefficient<\/a> in California. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Delta watershed supports about 80% of the state\u2019s commercial salmon fishery<\/a>, which was cancelled this year for the second time in a row<\/a> because of plummeting populations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat better way to address declining salmon populations than by draining their homes?\u201d Scott Artis, executive director of the Golden State Salmon Association, said in a recent statement.<\/a> \u201cBravo, Governor, for turning healthy rivers and estuaries into a punchline that harms tens of thousands of families, businesses and employees across California and Oregon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CalMatters<\/a> is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California\u2019s state Capitol works and why it matters.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The centerpiece of California\u2019s water wars pits Gov. Newsom against local communities and environmentalists. A new report says the benefits of the tunnel far exceed the cost since other water supplies would cost more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":224539,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"MSN_Categories":"News","MSN_Publish_Option":true,"MSN_Is_Local_News":true,"MSN_Is_AIAC_Included":"Empty","MSN_Location":"[{\"longitude\":\"-117.164\",\"latitude\":\"32.7158\",\"locality\":\"San Diego\",\"subRegion\":\"San Diego County\",\"region\":\"CA\",\"country\":\"United States\"}]","MSN_Add_Feature_Img_On_Top_Of_Post":false,"MSN_Has_Custom_Author":false,"MSN_Custom_Author":"","MSN_Has_Custom_Canonical_Url":false,"MSN_Custom_Canonical_Url":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-05-18T20:00:10Z","apple_news_api_id":"d71c9a59-a599-4e46-99ac-81c637cb25f5","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-05-19T14:56:33Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAg==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A1xyaWaWZTkaZrIHGN8sl9Q","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[6],"tags":[34795,280747,3721,159690,75226,2290,231],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[269756],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"Benefits of Controversial Delta Tunnel Said to Far Exceed $20 Billion Price - Times of San Diego<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The centerpiece of California\u2019s water wars pits Gov. 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