Latest: Delta Tunnels Plan Challenged in Court

California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta supplies water to 25 million people and 3 million acres of farmland. Irrigators, water districts and environmental groups have fought for years over how much can be pumped from the Delta and how much must be left to protect dwindling salmon and smelt (“California’s tangled water politics,” HCN, 12/20/10). Under the controversial WaterFix plan, endorsed by Gov. Jerry Brown, D, the state would spend $15 billion to dig two tunnels to secure Delta water for Southern California.