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$17 Billion Delta Tunnels Plan in Trouble After Key Water Agency Backs Out

/in /by /The Mercury News‎ (San Jose)

In a major and potentially fatal setback to Gov. Jerry Brown’s $17 billion plan to build two huge tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, America’s largest irrigation district voted Tuesday to pull out of the project. The board of Westlands Water District, based in Fresno, voted 7-1 following an hour of debate and discussion over the costs of the project, which is intended to make it easier to move water from north to south.

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Water District Vote Deals Major Blow to California’s Delta Tunnel Project

/in /by /Los Angeles Times

The board of the Westlands Water District on Tuesday dealt a potentially fatal blow to the most ambitious California water project planned in decades. By a 7-1 vote, the state’s largest irrigation district decided not to join California WaterFix — a $17-billion plan to build two tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta that would re-engineer the way Northern California supplies are moved to the rest of the state. The proposed financing structure of the project “doesn’t work for Westlands Water District,” board member Todd Neves said.

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Sweetwater Authority Awarded ‘Best of South County’ From the South County Economic Development Council

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Chula Vista, Calif. – Sweetwater Authority (Authority) was awarded with The Corky McMillin/Best of South County Award at the South County Economic Development Council’s 27th Annual Economic Summit on September 15. The award was presented to the Authority for the recent expansion and completion of the Richard A. Reynolds Groundwater Desalination Facility.

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Gov. Brown’s Grand Water-Tunnel Project Runs Into Money Uncertainty

/in /by /SFGateby Kurtis Alexander

Just months after Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to shore up California’s water system with two giant tunnels won key approval from regulators, the $17 billion project is running into potential financial problems. The dozens of agencies that have expressed support for the delta tunnels as a way to ensure that they get more reliable water deliveries, from Silicon Valley to the Central Valley to Los Angeles, are supposed to produce financial commitments in coming weeks. Many, however, appear reluctant to sign on.

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San Joaquin Valley Farmers Think Sacramento Water Agencies Should Help Pay For Delta tunnels

/in /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow

Some Sacramento-area water agencies would end up paying for a small share of the Delta tunnels under a last-minute alternative funding plan pitched by one of the state’s largest farming groups. Westlands Water District, whose board of directors is scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to help pay for the tunnels, says it needs to spread the costs among a greater number of water districts, both north and south of the Delta, to make the project affordable to the Fresno and Kings county farmers who get water from Westlands.

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Bipartisan Bill Aims To Rehabilitate Tijuana River Valley After Sewage Spills

/in /by /KPBS

A bipartisan federal bill was introduced Monday that aims to rehabilitate the Tijuana River Valley after a series of sewage spills in the area and to implement ways to prevent future spills. The Tijuana River Valley Comprehensive Protection and Rehabilitation Act of 2017, introduced at a news conference by Reps. Juan Vargas, D-San Diego, and Darrell Issa, R-Vista, would provide grant funding and develop a coordinated plan to update the area’s infrastructure to prevent the flooding of sewage, trash and sediment into the area along the U.S.-Mexico border.

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California Lawmakers Approve $4 Billion Ballot Measure For Parks And Water Projects

/in /by /The Mercury News (San Jose)by Paul Rogers

Immigration and housing dominated the headlines from Sacramento this year. But with little fanfare, state lawmakers working with Gov. Jerry Brown also approved a sweeping measure to provide $4.1 billion in new funding for parks and water projects — everything from building Bay Area hiking trails to expanding Lake Tahoe beaches to constructing new inner city parks in Los Angeles.

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APNewsBreak: Millions Of Californians On Hook For Water Plan

/in /by /Associated Press (As published by WKRC News 5 - Mobile, Ala.)

California is increasing the pressure on millions of Californians to help pay for two giant water tunnels that Gov. Jerry Brown wants built. The Associated Press obtained documents Friday and confirmed the expanded funding proposal in interviews with state and local water officials. Brown wants to re-engineer California’s north-south water system in the $16 billion project. Amid doubts about whether the mega-project is worth the cost, no big water district has yet to sign on to help pay.

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Consumer Advocacy Group Wants LADWP’s Official Watchdog Fired. Here’s Why

/in /by /Los Angeles Daily Newsby Elizabeth Chou

Several groups converged at Los Angeles City Hall Monday with a demand: that the official advocate responsible for fighting for the interests of Department of Water and Power customers be fired. Many took issue in particular with his conclusions on a controversial $16 billion water tunnel project in northern California. Representatives of Consumer Watchdog and other groups say the utility’s official “ratepayer advocate,” Fred Pickel, has not been working on the side of customers. They have launched a campaign to oust him.

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Oroville Dam: What Exactly Will Be Done By Nov. 1?

/in /by /East Bay Times (San Jose)

Repairs to the Oroville Dam spillway are on track for the Nov. 1 deadline, state Department of Water Resources representatives say, but work will be far from over then. The November deadline was set in the hopes of beating the start of the area’s typical rainy season. The spillway will be functional by then, able to pass flows of 100,000 cubic-feet per second, or cfs, according to DWR’s plans, but the structure will have a higher capacity when the redesign is complete.

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