California Water News Daily Your Source For Water News in California
State and Federal agencies announced last week that they have jointly filed some of the first permit applications for the Governor’s proposed twin tunnels project to help carry water from the north to central and southern regions of the state.
The Department of Water Resources and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation want approval to build three giant water intakes. The capacity of each intake would be 3,000 cubic feet per second and would feed the State Water Project and Central Valley Project through the tunnels.
The Brown administration has pushed for the construction of two 30-mile-long tunnels and the state estimates will cost $17 billion saying the current systems are outdated and vulnerable.
Some opponents say removing water from the delta for the tunnels would destroy farms, wildlife and habitat that depend on the delta, one of the West Coast’s largest estuaries.
State and federal authorities said they submitted the application to start the process but don’t expect an answer until after a final assessment of the project’s impacts are released. The project currently is under public and federal review of its environmental impact.
The State Water Resources Control Board, which must approve or reject the request, expects to complete its review within two years.
