Major Funding Approved for Delta Conveyance Project

As I wrote previously, the Delta Conveyance Project is a tunnel that would divert excess flow in the Sacramento River upstream of the delta and deliver it to the existing State Water project near the mouth of the delta. The existing pumping station works well from an engineering perspective but can have a significant impact on several species of fish, notably the federally protected Delta Smelt and salmon. There is also a real risk a major earthquake could cause the failure of levies throughout the delta, causing saltwater intrusion from San Francisco Bay and making the water at the current diversion point unusable for human use. 

A major milestone for the project was obtaining $300 Million in additional funding for continued planning and preconstruction costs of the project. This funding will come from all project participants, but the biggest portion comes from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan) whose share is $142 Million, or a little over 47 percent of the additional costs.

Metropolitan has 26 member agencies across Southern California, and their individual interests sometimes conflict. Some areas, like Los Angeles and San Diego, are largely built out, and significant investments have been made in Metropolitan projects to serve their areas. Even though the cost of those projects was borne by all Metropolitan member agencies, there is some reluctance to commit funding to support additional projects that do not directly support those areas. In a strong show of unity and support, the Metropolitan Board voted by over 97% to provide the needed $142 Million. Had Metropolitan not supported this funding, the project would have stalled and might have died.

The Delta Conveyance Project is particularly important to Central and Southern California because the State Department of Water Resources projects climate change will reduce water available to the State Water Project as it is currently configured by 600,000 acre-feet a year. The Delta Conveyance Project will replace 400,000 acre-feet per year of that projected loss by diverting excess Sacramento River flow upstream of the delta, thereby avoiding the potential for fish entrainment into the existing pumping system. The Delta Conveyance will also provide protection against sea level rise and increased salinity in the delta and minimize the likelihood of a major earthquake disrupting the current intake point for the State Water Project. 

Had the Delta Conveyance project been in place over 500,000 acre feet of water that flowed to the ocean could have been captured and delivered to agricultural and urban users in the winters of 2021-22 and 2022-23 without adverse impact to fish populations.

The $300 Million in planning and preconstruction money will be expended in 2026 and 2027. This will bring the project to a final decision point on whether to proceed with construction, which is anticipated to be made in 2027. The current construction cost estimate is up to $20 Billion, with the planned operation date set for 2042.

Find out more about the Delta Conveyance Project.