FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 16, 2024
Contact: Michael Blenner, michael.blenner@sierraclub.org
Department of Water Resources Releases Delta Tunnel Cost-Benefit Analysis Which Ignores Project’s Cost to Tribes and Ecosystems
Sacramento, CA - Thursday, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) released an updated cost-benefit analysis for the Delta Conveyance Project (Delta Tunnel). This analysis excludes the costs of the project’s impacts to cultural, paleontological, and Tribal resources, which were determined to be “significant and unavoidable” in the Environmental Impact Report.
The Delta Conveyance Design & Construction Authority also released an updated estimate of construction and other program costs for the Delta Tunnel. The project is now calculated to be $20.1 billion, up from the previous cost estimate of $16.7 billion in 2018.
The Delta Tunnel is a proposal to build a tunnel that would divert fresh water from the Sacramento River and send the deliveries to water districts south of the Delta. This environmentally destructive project would further devastate underserved communities in the Delta, Tribes throughout Northern California, and local ecosystems. This comes at a time when salmon fishing has been put on hold and the endangered Delta Smelt has not been found in Bay Delta surveys for six consecutive years.
Statement from Charming Evelyn, Water Committee Co-Chair for Sierra Club California:
“DWR’s Delta Tunnel cost benefit analysis is just another example of the organization ignoring basic scientific facts. DWR claims that the Delta Tunnel would relieve pressure on constrained groundwater sources, however they’ve ignored the reality that surface water and groundwater are intrinsically linked.
DWR claims that the Delta Tunnel will cost the same as water conservation are faulty. Water Conservation actions have frequently shown to be the cheapest way to increase water supply availability. The Tunnel won’t even come online until 2045 the earliest, so California taxpayers will be paying the cost of this environmentally destructive project for decades to come. DWR should instead prioritize local and sustainable solutions to California’s water issues.”
Sierra Club California is the legislative and regulatory arm of Sierra Club’s 13 local chapters in California, representing half a million members and supporters.