OPINION: There’s No Green Light For Terrible Delta Tunnels

The blaring headlines this week said the biological opinions issued by the federal government gave what could be a final green light to the California WaterFix. Wrong. There is no green light for this $15 billion boondoggle. The agencies only examined phase one, which is limited to the construction of the Delta twin tunnels themselves and the expansion of Clifton Court Forebay – not the project’s real environmental danger of actually moving water through the tunnels. This will require reviews for six more project components – constructing, monitoring, maintaining and mitigating the three intake facilities, as well the water operations plan.