After failing to secure adequate funding for the twin tunnels (CA WaterFix) from Westlands Water District, Santa Clara Valley Water District, and Kern County Water Agency last fall, the leading proponent of the CA WaterFix, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), is preparing their board for a vote on Tuesday to approve funding for...Read More
On Monday, the Los Angeles Times reported that the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) will no longer pursue plans to finance the total construction costs of the twin tunnels, known formally as the California WaterFix. MWD general manager, Jeff Kightlinger explained why the Southern California water district would be changing course again in...Read More
STOCKTON, CA – Documents acquired by Restore the Delta from a recent a public records act request to Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) confirm that MWD and the State Water Contractors (SWC) collaborated to rework an unfavorable draft of the economic analysis report released recently to the public for the phased-in approach to...Read More
Public Policy Institute of California’s most recent statewide survey, Californians & Their Government, revealed that only 42 percent of likely voters support Governor Brown’s Delta tunnels project. Specifically, those surveyed were asked, “The governor has proposed to improve the reliability of water supplies by building tunnels in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta—starting with one tunnel and...Read More
The UC Davis Center for Regional Change recently released a study surveying low-income San Joaquin Valley communities’ accessibility to clean water systems. Capitol Public Radio reported on the study this Tuesday, noting that researchers discovered “almost 100,000 San Joaquin Valley residents living without access to clean drinking water.” Capitol Public Radio Reporter Ezra David Romero...Read More
Los Angeles’ new ‘Mulholland moment’ for safe and adequate water: Eric Garcetti – LA Daily News “In years past, we’ve taken water from the Owens Valley, the California Delta and the Colorado River. But we cannot rely solely on 20th century engineering for our 21st century water needs — and projects like the Delta tunnels...Read More
Today at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) Bay-Delta Committee meeting, General Manager Jeff Kightlinger and Assistant General Manager Roger Patterson revealed that Governor Brown, the State Water Contractors, and the Department of Water Resources (DWR) have been part of discussions to move forward with the first tunnel of the phased-in CA WaterFix...Read More
STOCKTON – Documents acquired by Restore the Delta from a recent a public records act request to Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) confirm that newly appointed California Department of Water Resources Director (DWR) Karla Nemeth was a MWD employee from 2009 to 2014, earning over $900,000 in total compensation. During her MWD tenure,...Read More
STOCKTON, CA – Today, the State Water Resources Control Board issued a ruling that restarts California WaterFix hearings despite a change in the project for the proposed Delta tunnels (link to ruling to here). Recent motions to stay the hearing included intense criticism from Delta cities, counties, farmers, and environmental groups (protestants). The protestants had...Read More
Decades of overpumping the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary and greed-driven water mismanagement has lead California to a critical moment in its environmental history. Only two Delta smelt were identified in the state’s last fish survey–the lowest count in 50 years. Now more than ever, this small but mighty indicator species needs fresh water to flow...Read More
