Delta Counties Coalition

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - The Delta Counties Coalition issued the following statement in response to remarks made May 7 by Gavin Newsom at the Association of California Water Agencies conference:

“Governor Newsom offered a sweeping reflection on California’s water history during his tenure in office, but in doing so, he largely glossed over the very real and immediate concerns of the communities that would be most impacted by the Delta Tunnel Conveyance Project.

For those who live, work and depend on the Delta for local water supplies, this is not an abstract policy debate or a continuation of past proposals — it is about the future of our homes, our farms and one of the most important estuaries in the country. Local governments, residents and environmental experts have consistently pointed out the project’s unacceptable impacts on communities, water quality, ecosystems and the regional economy — and these concerns remain unresolved.

While the Governor points to “breaking through” on the tunnel by reducing it to one rather than two, the reality is that all of the significant problems remain, including no source of funding for the $20 billion-plus project, nor avoidance of the environmental harm, and a low probability of delivering the benefits being promised. Recent state actions have acknowledged these gaps by requiring additional review of key issues before the project proceeds. More importantly, the California Supreme Court recently denied review of an appellate court decision rejecting the State’s attempt to finance the proposed Delta Tunnel project.

Perhaps most concerning is the continued focus on a single, decades-old conveyance proposal, rather than investing in a broader portfolio of solutions that would capture, store and create new water supplies for California. Regional water self-reliance, storage, recycling and groundwater recharge, coupled with continued maintenance of our Delta levee system to guard against floods and seismic activity, offer more sustainable and less disruptive paths forward.

California can meet its water challenges without sacrificing the Delta and the communities that depend on it. We urge the Administration to work collaboratively with local leaders to pursue solutions that are more balanced, more resilient, and more reflective of today’s water realities — not continue to promote a divisive tunnel proposal that could negatively impact many Californians.”