Newsom Says California Needs to Build a Water Tunnel. Opponents Argue Costs Are Too High

As Gov. Gavin Newsom pushes for building a giant water tunnel beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, his administration is saying it’s the “single most effective” way for California to provide enough water as the warming climate brings deeper droughts and more intense storms.

Environmental advocates and political leaders in the Delta, among other opponents, condemned a new state analysis that draws that conclusion, arguing that building the tunnel would harm the environment and several types of fish and would push water rates much higher for millions of Californians.