Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • topics
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight With Vicki Gonzalez
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
  • Health Care
  • State Government
  •  

California Water District Approves Up To $650M For Tunnels

Tuesday, May 8, 2018 | Sacramento, CA
Rich Pedroncelli / AP

In this Feb. 25, 2016, file photo, water flows through an irrigation canal to crops near Lemoore, Calif.

Rich Pedroncelli / AP

(AP) — A Northern California water agency voted Tuesday to support Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to build two massive tunnels to remake the state's water system.

The Santa Clara Valley Water District board voted 4-3 Tuesday to support the $17 billion project and to commit up to $650 million to help pay for it, The Mercury News in San Jose reported.

The vote in a packed chamber followed a four-hour discussion of the 35-mile (55-kilometer), 40-foot high tunnels to divert water from the north to the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California.

Brown, who argues the twin tunnels will modernize California's water delivery system, called the board's decision "courageous."

"Simply put, this courageous decision will help two million Santa Clarans have a more reliable water supply," he said in a statement.

Unions and Silicon Valley's largest business group had recommended a yes vote. But environmental groups opposed the proposal, saying the project would be a water grab from Northern California and would degrade wildlife and water quality in San Francisco Bay and the Delta, while also writing a blank check for ratepayers.

"We want to try and get stability and cover the future needs of Silicon Valley," said board member Tony Estremera, who voted to support the project. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It's important for us to have as much security as we can."

Critics say the tunnels would allow large agribusiness interests in the San Joaquin Valley, as well as urban users in Los Angeles, to eventually take more fresh water out of the Delta, a fragile system of islands and sloughs.

"Other than labor and the business community, I have not received a single message of support," said board member John Varela, who voted against the project. "I choose not to mortgage our constituents' future with unfettered debt."

The vote comes six months after the board voted 7-0 to reject the twin tunnels and support a smaller, one-tunnel approach.

But the board reversed course after the California Water Commission staff released a favorable assessment about the public benefits of the district's Pacheco Reservoir expansion project, for which it is seeking $485 million. The commission's staff earlier determined the project wasn't eligible for funds. It was one of five projects found to be worthy of money after they were originally rejected.

The Water Commission consists of Brown appointees who can distribute $2.6 billion from a water bond approved by voters in 2014. It has not made a final decision on the Pacheco Reservoir project.

But Santa Clara water officials say it is incorrect to suggest the district reconsidered its position because of potential reservoir funding and point out some board members changed their minds after the large Metropolitan Water District in Southern California voted last month to fund the bulk of the project.

The MWD, which supplies water to 19 million people in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas, approved $10.8 billion in funding for the project.

___

Information from: San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News, http://www.mercurynews.com


Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

Coronavirus Newsletter

Get answers to your questions, the latest updates and easy access to the resources you need, delivered to your inbox.

 

Want to know what to expect? Here's a recent newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

We'll send you weekly emails so you can stay informed about the coronavirus in California.

Browse all newsletters

More Health Care Stories

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

The federal government is offering another round of free COVID tests

May 16, 2022

Scott Olson/Getty Images

FDA authorizes first COVID booster for children ages 5 to 11

May 17, 2022

AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File

Sacramento-area schools seeing rise in COVID-19 cases, but don’t plan to require masks again

May 17, 2022

Most Viewed

Top California Democrats in a stalemate over gas rebates

Downtown Sacramento shooting: What we know and latest updates

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla will appear on California’s June primary ballot twice. Here’s why.

With California budget surplus projected at $97 billion, Newsom proposes driver rebates, more reproductive health funding

California coronavirus updates: Biden announces a third round of free at-home COVID-19 testing kits

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

Top California Democrats in a stalemate over gas rebates

Downtown Sacramento shooting: What we know and latest updates

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla will appear on California’s June primary ballot twice. Here’s why.

With California budget surplus projected at $97 billion, Newsom proposes driver rebates, more reproductive health funding

California coronavirus updates: Biden announces a third round of free at-home COVID-19 testing kits

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Careers & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2022, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.