Pivotal Delta Conveyance Project hits major milestone, now has support of water agencies serving majority of Californians
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Dec 10, 2024

Pivotal Delta Conveyance Project hits major milestone, now has support of water agencies serving majority of Californians

What you need to know: Water agencies serving more than half the state's population have now voted in support of one of the most pivotal infrastructure projects for California's water supply in generations.

SACRAMENTO – This week, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) voted overwhelmingly to approve $141 million in additional funding for planning and permitting for the Delta Conveyance Project. The vote illustrates continued support for this necessary infrastructure that will protect access to clean drinking water for 27 million Californians.

MWD, the largest supplier of treated water in the United States, is a cooperative of 26 member agencies that provide water to 19 million people across six California counties. MWD's support means water agencies serving 21 million Californians – more than half the state's population – have now voted in favor of this major infrastructure project.

The Delta Conveyance Project is a critical part of Governor Gavin Newsom's build more, faster agenda delivering infrastructure upgrades across the state. Find projects building your community at build.ca.gov.

Thanks to today's vote by the Metropolitan Water District, the Delta Conveyance Project now has the continued support of water districts serving more than half our state. This project is one of the nation's most important infrastructure projects in generations because it will protect access to clean and safe drinking water for 27 million Californians. We're building the momentum we need to build this project and others across the state, faster.

Governor Gavin Newsom

Governor Newsom met with Metropolitan Water District leadership last week to encourage support for the Delta Conveyance Project.

MWD follows 11 other water agencies throughout the state that have also voted in favor of moving the next phase of funding for planning and design of the project forward.
  • Alameda County Water District,
  • Coachella Valley Water District
  • Crestline-Lake Arrowhead Water Agency
  • Desert Water Agency
  • Mojave Water Agency
  • Palmdale Water District
  • San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District
  • San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District
  • San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency
  • Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency
  • Zone 7 Water Agency

"While Los Angeles and Southern California are working to become more self-sufficient through local projects such as groundwater recharge and recycling, imported water from the State Water Project is still critical to the region's success especially under climate change," said California Department of Water Resources Director Karla Nemeth.

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Why it's needed

California's aging water infrastructure is not designed to cope with changing precipitation patterns resulting from climate change, including intense swings between droughts and floods and a less reliable Sierra Nevada snowpack.  The Delta Conveyance Project will help to safely capture, move and store water from big, but infrequent, storm events while also protecting against sea level rise and earthquakes.

If the Delta Conveyance Project had been operational during the atmospheric river storms of early 2024, enough water could have been captured to provide water to 9.8 million Californians for an entire year.  Future savings of this kind would help to offset a projected 22% loss of SWP water supplies by 2070 due to climate change.

How it works

The Delta Conveyance Project would improve California's ability to take advantage of intense periods of rain and excess flows in the Sacramento River by creating two new intakes in the north Delta and a single tunnel connecting to the California Aqueduct via Bethany Reservoir. It would also help protect against the risk of an earthquake cutting off water supplies to millions of Californians, currently a 72% chance of 6.7+ magnitude in the area by 2043.

The Delta Conveyance Project, redesigned following input from the public and Governor Newsom, would protect access to water supplies for millions of Californians. Since day one, the Governor pledged to right-size this project to one tunnel and embrace an all-of-the-above approach to protecting California's water access.

For more information, visit the Delta Conveyance Project website.

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