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| Delta Peripheral Canal | |
|---|---|
| Name | Delta Peripheral Canal |
| Location | Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, California |
| Status | Proposed / Controversial |
| Proposed | 1980s–2010s |
| Purpose | Water conveyance for export |
| Length | ~ (proposed) |
| Owner | Various California agencies/proponents |
Delta Peripheral Canal is a proposed large-scale water conveyance project intended to divert flow around the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta for export to southern and central California. Advocates framed the proposal as a component of state water infrastructure alongside projects such as the Central Valley Project, State Water Project, and proposals associated with the California Water Plan. Critics linked it to controversies involving the California Environmental Quality Act, interstate water law, and long-standing regional disputes among the Sacramento County, San Joaquin County, and coastal interests.
The canal concept traces to mid-20th century planning debates following construction of the Shasta Dam, Tracy Pumping Plant, and the Oroville Dam phase of the Feather River Project. Proponents argued the canal would reduce reverse flows in delta channels that affect the San Francisco Bay estuary and protect water exports to contractors like the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Santa Clara Valley Water District, and agricultural districts in the Central Valley. Opponents countered using precedents such as litigation around the Peripheral Canal (1982 ballot measure) and regulatory outcomes under the Federal Endangered Species Act affecting species like the Delta smelt and Chinook salmon.
Engineering studies considered multiple alignments bypassing key channels of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, with intake locations on the Sacramento River near Suisun Bay or upstream approaches near Collinsville and Antioch. Designs referenced technologies tested at the Skinner Fish Protective Facility and the intake screening criteria from the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Alternative configurations were compared with conveyance concepts such as the North Bay Aqueduct, California Aqueduct, and tunnels proposed under programs affiliated with the California Department of Water Resources and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
Environmental assessments focused on effects documented in reports by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and analyses commissioned by the National Academy of Sciences. Potential impacts cited included altered salinity gradients in the San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary, entrainment risks to listed species like the Longfin smelt, and changes to managed wetlands linked to the Suisun Marsh. Water quality concerns invoked standards set by the State Water Resources Control Board and precedents from the Clean Water Act implementation in the San Francisco Estuary. Empirical studies drew on monitoring networks such as the Interagency Ecological Program and the science synthesized by the Delta Science Program.
The project’s regulatory pathway intersected with landmark litigation and policy decisions involving the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, judicial review under the National Environmental Policy Act, and state ballot politics patterned after the 1982 Proposition 9 (California). Political dynamics involved gubernatorial administrations from Jerry Brown to Arnold Schwarzenegger and interactions with the California Legislature, the Delta Stewardship Council, and federal agencies including the Bureau of Reclamation. Water rights disputes engaged institutions such as the State Water Resources Control Board and decisions that referenced the Public Trust Doctrine as interpreted by the California Supreme Court.
Cost estimates were compared to large infrastructure investments like the California High-Speed Rail and the Kern Water Bank, with financing options involving state general obligation bonds similar to measures approved in propositions such as Proposition 1 (2014). Economic analyses weighed benefits to Westlands Water District and urban contractors including the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power against environmental mitigation costs and potential impacts on fisheries economies in counties like Solano County and Contra Costa County. Ratepayer impacts, federal funding through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and public-private partnership models were part of fiscal debates.
Alternatives spawned technical and policy proposals such as the California Water Fix tunnel proposals, decentralized approaches like groundwater banking exemplified by projects in Kern County, and demand-side measures promoted by entities like the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the Natural Resources Defense Council. Restoration-focused programs included initiatives from the Delta Conservancy, the Suisun Marsh Habitat Management, Preservation, and Restoration Plan, and pilot actions under the Central Valley Flood Protection Board.
Stakeholders ranged from agricultural interests represented by the California Farm Bureau Federation and Central Valley Project Improvement Act beneficiaries to environmental NGOs including the Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, and local advocacy groups in Contra Costa County and Sacramento. Urban water agencies such as the Santa Clara Valley Water District and the San Diego County Water Authority expressed varying stances. Voters decided related measures in statewide contests like the 1982 proposition and subsequent ballot initiatives shaped by campaigns funded by organizations linked to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and opponents mobilized by coalitions involving the Environmental Defense Fund and regional chambers of commerce.
Category:Water infrastructure in California