Delta Conveyance Project

Delta Conveyance Project
Name	Delta Conveyance Project
Location	Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, California
Status	Proposed/Planning
Owner	California Department of Water Resources
Cost	Estimated (varies)
Start	Planned

Delta Conveyance Project

The Delta Conveyance Project is a proposed water infrastructure initiative in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta intended to alter water export conveyance for the State Water Project, Central Valley Project, and urban and agricultural water contractors in California. It seeks to address issues stemming from aging levees, seismic risk, and ecological constraints affecting water deliveries to regions including Southern California, the Central Valley (California), and the San Francisco Bay Area. The proposal has generated debate among federal agencies, state officials, environmental groups, and local stakeholders such as the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the Westlands Water District.

Background and purpose

The project originated from long-running discussions about water supply reliability that involve entities like the California Department of Water Resources, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and the California Natural Resources Agency. It responds to challenges highlighted by historical events such as the California water wars (20th century), the 1994 Central Valley Project Improvement Act, and repeated droughts affecting Kern County, Fresno County, and municipal agencies including Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Proponents cite seismic vulnerability of island levees in the Delta, litigation related to the Endangered Species Act protections for species such as the delta smelt and Central Valley Chinook salmon, and regulatory rulings from the California Water Resources Control Board. Opponents reference precedents like the Peripheral Canal (1982) debate and environmental impacts identified in cases before the California Supreme Court.

Project description and components

Planners propose constructing one or more underground tunnels and intakes on the Sacramento River to convey water beneath the Delta, with components involving intake structures, tunnel boring operations, and pumping plants tied to existing facilities at Clifton Court Forebay and the Bethany Reservoir. Engineering partners and consultants frequently referenced include firms that have worked on projects such as the Los Angeles Aqueduct, the Hetch Hetchy Water System, and the Central Arizona Project. Technical considerations include tunnel diameter, intake capacity, conveyance alignment near Rio Vista, California and Isleton, California, and connections to the State Water Project and federal conveyance infrastructure used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation. Construction logistics would intersect with transportation corridors like Interstate 5 (California), rail corridors operated by the Union Pacific Railroad, and utilities regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission.

Environmental impacts and mitigation

Environmental review processes considered impacts on species such as the delta smelt, winter-run Chinook salmon, steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss), and habitats including Suisun Marsh and tidal wetlands near the San Francisco Bay. Environmental analyses drew on methodologies developed under the National Environmental Policy Act and the California Environmental Quality Act, and involved consultations with the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Potential impacts include entrainment, changes to salinity intrusion that affect the Suisun Bay, and effects on migratory corridors used by species studied by the Smithsonian Institution and academic groups at University of California, Davis and University of California, Berkeley. Proposed mitigation measures reference restoration projects in the Yolo Bypass, levee repairs supported by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and habitat enhancement programs coordinated with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Regulatory approval and governance

The project has required permits and approvals from agencies including the California State Water Resources Control Board, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Governance arrangements emphasize coordination among local reclamation districts, counties such as Sacramento County and Contra Costa County, water contractors like the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and state entities, following frameworks influenced by legislation such as the Water Code (California). Legal actions have been brought in state and federal courts, with stakeholders invoking precedents from cases handled by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and filings referencing standards from the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act.

Funding, costs, and timeline

Cost estimates for the project have varied, drawing comparisons to large-scale infrastructure programs like the Bay Delta Conservation Plan and other multi-billion-dollar projects such as the Glen Canyon Dam renovations and the California High-Speed Rail program. Funding discussions involve contributions from state bonds approved by voters in measures such as Proposition 1 (2014), revenue commitments from water contractors including the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the Semitropic Water Storage District, and potential federal support from agencies including the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Project timelines have shifted with environmental review milestones, litigation outcomes, and permitting from entities such as the California Coastal Commission for related actions near the San Francisco Bay, leading to uncertain construction start dates and phased implementation scenarios.

Controversies and public response

Public response spans a wide range of stakeholders including agricultural interests in the Central Valley (California), urban agencies like San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, tribal governments such as the Morro Bay Tribe and indigenous groups asserting rights under treaties and federal law, conservation organizations including the Natural Resources Defense Council and Sierra Club, and local communities concerned about land use and levee impacts in places like Brentwood, California and Stockton, California. Controversies echo historical disputes exemplified by the Peripheral Canal (1982) referendum and involve debates over water rights adjudications like the Quantification Settlement Agreement, climate projections from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and economic analyses used by institutions such as the Public Policy Institute of California. Litigation, public hearings before the California State Legislature, and media coverage by outlets such as the Los Angeles Times and the Sacramento Bee have kept the project under scrutiny.

Category:Water infrastructure in California