<html><head></head><body><div class="ydp32dabe19yahoo-style-wrap" style="font-family:garamond, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><div><div class="ydp32dabe19signature" dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><a href="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2023-05-10/water-advocacy-group-blasts-newsom-delta-tunnel-project?fbclid=IwAR1WPajWy5H_efWSLcEc-TguQWScNH7VNKqX746g4xSftfBuRn3bwvFWDEQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" class="">https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2023-05-10/water-advocacy-group-blasts-newsom-delta-tunnel-project?fbclid=IwAR1WPajWy5H_efWSLcEc-TguQWScNH7VNKqX746g4xSftfBuRn3bwvFWDEQ</a></div><div><br></div> <div class="ydp32dabe19signature"><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><div><h1 style="margin: 0px 0px 40px; font-weight: 500; font-style: normal; letter-spacing: -0.2px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Report urges Metropolitan Water District to abandon Newsom’s $16-billion delta tunnel plan<span> </span></h1><div style="margin-top: 40px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: -webkit-standard; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><div style="margin: 0px 0px 40px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><span style="background-repeat: no-repeat;"><img alt="A yard sign reads, save the delta stop the tunnels" src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/8B-fhjxLz3iY0VewFrADPQk3RWwMio3-X2aRszAJhRIYxwcCst-54XcvoNfbHVgPjCTyZ1a5j1jNwftiXq-5SHM4rRkhqRsuT45DLWXdMSx1HtYYvcUIWxUyyd1Zizy_eCAT6tyPbTjr4_cruQz_QWhb4JphwnFMph81s0aT1OTsvgk2s5gVsDvfII1vs_EevNADPDN03OYYUnZ4hXcDS5rpnlStC36vvbMxRE6cVMPpE_2UO6U-hNtha0PlNzMFt941DZacxD5XwXK0Hqm0-HLedOVjx-eV2HMNK7K_Tf0E6wxDGElAjKe80BZhTocQyPwWPTTxi6iFmyYnzApycQYqH-va9N6edV8IlQjgrEHIcBN0rxKcid4c25wLU8A=s0-d-e1-ft#https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/340ee02/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x1890+0+0/resize/1200x756!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fcc%2F78%2F5202f6954dfe999c6e11761941d0%2Fcalifornia-giant-tunnels-11373.jpg" style="vertical-align: middle; display: block; max-width: 753px; width: 100%; margin-bottom: 10px; background-repeat: no-repeat;" class="ydpaead3800CToWUd ydpaead3800a6T" data-bit="iit"></span></div></div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 40px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><div style="font-weight: 500; font-style: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><div style="display: inline; background-repeat: no-repeat;">A
sign opposing a proposed tunnel to ship water through the
Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to Southern California is displayed
near Freeport, south of Sacramento, in 2016.<span> </span></div><div style="display: inline; margin-left: 5px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">(Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)</div></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 20px; max-width: 680px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><div style="margin-bottom: 12px; text-transform: uppercase; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><div style="font-weight: 500; font-style: normal; display: inline; text-transform: uppercase; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><span style="background-repeat: no-repeat;">BY</span><span> </span><a href="https://www.latimes.com/people/ian-james" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.latimes.com/people/ian-james&source=gmail&ust=1683818540255000&usg=AOvVaw3tw0L3U8QnVKOOWXyoqs4s" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">IAN JAMES</a><span style="font-weight: 500; font-style: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 4px; display: inline; background-repeat: no-repeat;">STAFF WRITER </span></div></div><span style="background-repeat: no-repeat;">MAY 10, 2023<span> </span></span><span style="background-repeat: no-repeat;">5 AM PT<span> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 20px; max-width: 680px; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><span style="display: block; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><ul style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; list-style: none; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><li style="margin-right: 5px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/dialog/share?app_id=134435029966155&display=popup&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fenvironment%2Fstory%2F2023-05-10%2Fwater-advocacy-group-blasts-newsom-delta-tunnel-project" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; display: block; border-color: currentcolor; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/dialog/share?app_id%3D134435029966155%26display%3Dpopup%26href%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.latimes.com%252Fenvironment%252Fstory%252F2023-05-10%252Fwater-advocacy-group-blasts-newsom-delta-tunnel-project&source=gmail&ust=1683818540255000&usg=AOvVaw0k5ddfSwWS6aTA4MMo53zG" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="width: 1px; padding: 0px; border-color: currentcolor; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat; min-height: 1px;">Facebook</span></a></li><li style="margin-right: 5px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fenvironment%2Fstory%2F2023-05-10%2Fwater-advocacy-group-blasts-newsom-delta-tunnel-project&text=Report%20urges%20Metropolitan%20Water%20District%20to%20abandon%20Newsom%27s%20%2416-billion%20delta%20tunnel%20plan" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; display: block; border-color: currentcolor; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.latimes.com%252Fenvironment%252Fstory%252F2023-05-10%252Fwater-advocacy-group-blasts-newsom-delta-tunnel-project%26text%3DReport%2520urges%2520Metropolitan%2520Water%2520District%2520to%2520abandon%2520Newsom%2527s%2520%252416-billion%2520delta%2520tunnel%2520plan&source=gmail&ust=1683818540255000&usg=AOvVaw3HHyLjiV67Gl81GWdALT_c" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="width: 1px; padding: 0px; border-color: currentcolor; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat; min-height: 1px;">Twitter</span></a></li><li style="margin-right: 5px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><a href="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2023-05-10/water-advocacy-group-blasts-newsom-delta-tunnel-project#" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; display: block; border-color: currentcolor; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2023-05-10/water-advocacy-group-blasts-newsom-delta-tunnel-project%23&source=gmail&ust=1683818540255000&usg=AOvVaw3QfulSiC7lpzAERPoaVifL" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="width: 1px; padding: 0px; border-color: currentcolor; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat; min-height: 1px;">Show more sharing options</span></a></li></ul></span></div><div style="font-weight: 400; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 30px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Gov.
Gavin Newsom and his administration have touted plans to build a tunnel
to transport water beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta,
saying the project would modernize California’s water infrastructure and
help the state adapt to climate change.</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">But
an advocacy group is urging the Metropolitan Water District of Southern
California to abandon the $16-billion project, saying it doesn’t make
financial sense for the state’s largest urban water agency.</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">In a<span> </span><a href="https://www.c-win.org/cwin-water-blog/2023/5/9/how-the-delta-conveyance-project-could-bankrupt-the-metropolitan-water-district-of-southern-california" style="text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.c-win.org/cwin-water-blog/2023/5/9/how-the-delta-conveyance-project-could-bankrupt-the-metropolitan-water-district-of-southern-california&source=gmail&ust=1683818540255000&usg=AOvVaw2_7b0IxFeyifeSZ-SSp6kM" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">report</a><span> </span>released
this week, the California Water Impact Network said the delta tunnel
may seem like a viable alternative but has three major flaws: “an
exorbitant price tag, environmental restrictions on operations and the
impacts of climate change on deliveries.”</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">“This
is a critical decision point,” said Max Gomberg, a former State Water
Resources Control Board staffer who wrote the report and has criticized
the Newsom administration.</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Gomberg
said if the MWD board agrees to support the delta tunnel project and
take on its portion of the cost, “that is going to really impact the
cost of water and ultimately ratepayer bills.”</p><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat;"></div><div style="width: 680px; clear: both; margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><div style="text-align: center; min-height: 270px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><div style="font-weight: 500; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 5px; text-transform: uppercase; background-repeat: no-repeat;">ADVERTISEMENT</div><div id="ydpaead3800m_5836613200680983428gmail-google-ad6319d268-ff7c-4f65-9eff-da557c4db283" style="text-align: center; width: auto; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><div style="max-width: 100%; border-color: currentcolor; border-style: none; border-width: 0pt; background-repeat: no-repeat;"></div></div></div></div><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"></p><div style="width: 680px; clear: both; margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><span style="display: block; padding: 20px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat;"><div style="margin: 0px 20px 0px 0px; max-width: 110px; width: 110px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><a href="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-07-27/california-releases-plan-for-shrinking-delta-water-project-from-two-tunnels-to-one" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; display: block; padding-bottom: 73.25px; background-repeat: no-repeat; min-height: 0px;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-07-27/california-releases-plan-for-shrinking-delta-water-project-from-two-tunnels-to-one&source=gmail&ust=1683818540255000&usg=AOvVaw3DlVJhnuwyIcul2T6zPyjb" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="background-repeat: no-repeat;"><img alt="FILE - In this Feb. 23, 2016, file photo, a sign opposing a proposed tunnel plan to ship water through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to Southern California is displayed near Freeport, Calif. The powerful Metropolitan Water District voted Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017 to pay its share of the $16 billion project to build two massive tunnels to pipe water from Northern California to Southern California cities. The vote gives Gov. Jerry Brown's ambitious project an important boost of support after an influential agricultural group withdrew its support last month. The tunnels, which have been discussed in one form or another for generations, would pipe water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta — where Sierra Nevada water flows toward the sea — to a system of canals that deliver water to farms and residents mostly in the southern half of the state. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)" src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/osuC_1Ps2MBotuzJSyi3p3777rl1YNl8At9X791K-CUGZMpbRH2fW999Jl6sLESRfqJM4qkTeGxAQauRPuHCLZzifEKGZ9tIx2We07hRZgjScbp2cCC7Chsn3MI-RpcZ6HC_ljO0x1yrcaYV-MmEI5oKeJZJJGXL1gjG_b4Iwsc-kaDd-VYMnb04wEQP1Y3xIORgr2j1l4GI3Mu663sCjr2YindIPweC42Hxteqh9bSGWM6rxK4TnyEPpVjkdYYdM7Svym05nLGiv6a3lsO0aRnRfoZuRv1JYJ2yQCGlO7EgZpAbUIVhtEuMh0nveIy9nj_Mq4O_zX-MYH66FMl-FzW5XgRHqcAY7eN3ypQIfYzgA_T9tUOQ3PRJybZm9D0=s0-d-e1-ft#https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0e0595b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2835x1890+83+0/resize/840x560!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fcc%2F78%2F5202f6954dfe999c6e11761941d0%2Fcalifornia-giant-tunnels-11373.jpg" style="vertical-align: middle; display: block; max-width: 753px; width: 100%; color: transparent; background-repeat: no-repeat;" class="ydpaead3800CToWUd" data-bit="iit" data-inlineimagemanipulating="true"></span></a></div><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat;"><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat;"><p style="font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-transform: uppercase; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><a href="https://www.latimes.com/environment" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; color: inherit; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.latimes.com/environment&source=gmail&ust=1683818540255000&usg=AOvVaw32cfEQNH97ksGLleQBtNg7" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT</a></p><h3 style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 600; letter-spacing: -0.2px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><a href="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-07-27/california-releases-plan-for-shrinking-delta-water-project-from-two-tunnels-to-one" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-07-27/california-releases-plan-for-shrinking-delta-water-project-from-two-tunnels-to-one&source=gmail&ust=1683818540255000&usg=AOvVaw3DlVJhnuwyIcul2T6zPyjb" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">California officially shrinks delta water diversion plan from two tunnels to one</a></h3></div><p style="font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; display: block; margin: 0px; text-transform: none; background-repeat: no-repeat;">July 27, 2022</p></div></div></span></div><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">The
Metropolitan Water District imports water from the delta and the
Colorado River and delivers it to cities and water agencies that supply
about 19 million people across Southern California.</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Gomberg
recommended that the MWD produce detailed cost estimates that
incorporate changing hydrologic conditions and that it analyze
implications on the affordability of water for all ratepayers.</p><div style="width: 680px; clear: both; margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><span style="background-repeat: no-repeat;"><div id="ydpaead3800m_5836613200680983428gmail-nativo_1" style="background-repeat: no-repeat;"></div></span></div><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Instead
of supporting the delta project, he said, the MWD should study
investments in local projects, such as infrastructure to capture
stormwater,<span> </span><a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-12-12/los-angeles-looks-to-a-contaminated-aquifer-for-new-water" style="text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-12-12/los-angeles-looks-to-a-contaminated-aquifer-for-new-water&source=gmail&ust=1683818540255000&usg=AOvVaw2ayKl4Kg7vy65o_HLOACU6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">clean up contaminated groundwater</a><span> </span>and<span> </span><a href="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-07-17/wastewater-recycling-provides-hedge-against-drought" style="text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-07-17/wastewater-recycling-provides-hedge-against-drought&source=gmail&ust=1683818540256000&usg=AOvVaw0fEVQoW-HGLgnBQWvU0Yp5" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">recycle wastewater</a>.</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Gomberg
said that while proponents tout the project as a way to make water
supplies more reliable, “the promised reliability is highly uncertain”
given the effects of climate change and environmental regulations that
restrict pumping.</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">The Newsom administration last year<span> </span><a href="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-07-27/california-releases-plan-for-shrinking-delta-water-project-from-two-tunnels-to-one" style="text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-07-27/california-releases-plan-for-shrinking-delta-water-project-from-two-tunnels-to-one&source=gmail&ust=1683818540256000&usg=AOvVaw2k9PERu5-lovKzUDqCfQmi" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">released plans</a><span> </span>for the proposed tunnel, which would capture water from the Sacramento River and transport it for miles<span> </span><a href="https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-tunnels-size-20180207-story.html" style="text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-tunnels-size-20180207-story.html&source=gmail&ust=1683818540256000&usg=AOvVaw0zyFDRC0YQimuHiC70VO90" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">under the delta</a>.
The water would reach existing pumps that send it south through the
aqueducts of the State Water Project, flowing toward farmlands and
Southern California’s cities.</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Over
the past two decades, the MWD has spent about $240 million on planning
for iterations of the proposed tunnel. The agency’s 38-member board has
yet to take a vote on whether to support the so-called<span> </span><a href="https://water.ca.gov/deltaconveyance" style="text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://water.ca.gov/deltaconveyance&source=gmail&ust=1683818540256000&usg=AOvVaw0UoHuArPL1tb1zUHiqoWi2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Delta Conveyance Project</a>. The earliest such a vote could be held is late 2024, but a decision could be delayed further.</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">“They’ve
spent a lot of money on studies for the delta project,” Gomberg said
during a news conference Tuesday. “They could cut that out of their
budget, and that would be significant cost savings.”</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Gomberg,
who resigned last year from the State Water Resources Control Board,
citing disagreements with the Newsom administration, now works with the
California Water Impact Network<span> </span><a href="https://www.c-win.org/" style="text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.c-win.org/&source=gmail&ust=1683818540256000&usg=AOvVaw09DbJZDRTm9mtUfTHRprN3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>as a consultant.</p><div style="width: 680px; clear: both; margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><span style="display: block; padding: 20px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat;"><div style="margin: 0px 20px 0px 0px; max-width: 110px; width: 110px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-07-28/california-drought-official-blasts-newsom-administration" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; display: block; padding-bottom: 73.25px; background-repeat: no-repeat; min-height: 0px;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-07-28/california-drought-official-blasts-newsom-administration&source=gmail&ust=1683818540256000&usg=AOvVaw0eKtzUV_y74mFDmMkOP2_o" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="background-repeat: no-repeat;"><img alt="Max Gomberg resigned from California's state water board" src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/HmvGh2PFIu2Xj0RKod4oYxfnHfFyCnGhhiBdVOfxK4ILatF9YpS3ZR5_l26PkhXgJ6ZMSeZLiUFr1vr-I5mnfKsWSHI8-4s7lpUx6pL82M0fn9aQou4DN3JkQEeMQI4-ujSeePJf-gl0awB4523pqk08rnlDBl6wfnaIyads-C564zIaYAeC8UzaltcJAW9YLdzHcjLAHoi9X84colUttBdRr23RMxXkpsQwNyybBU7SKBB4U-_-8jBLsR301juXBzlkXfO6Ypy912QW-xdAE0UT--rM0OO2ave1XuP_vFdpNuV7SEmFshXQLMFvKAyvISKI9UvnuXe2NaLlsBqPVuarL9D8-P2QaMPt-JmHxaMNLgWGwBojt6YhPW-03PhIXCbpOyGI6SjDHkgfWdoqxOyGyA=s0-d-e1-ft#https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a30ee64/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1965x1310+1+0/resize/840x560!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8b%2F34%2F08585a164fd1850874371cb5d85d%2Fla-me-a-prominent-california-water-official-resigns.JPG" style="vertical-align: middle; display: block; max-width: 753px; width: 100%; color: transparent; background-repeat: no-repeat;" class="ydpaead3800CToWUd" data-bit="iit" data-inlineimagemanipulating="true"></span></a></div><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat;"><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat;"><p style="font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-transform: uppercase; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><a href="https://www.latimes.com/california" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; color: inherit; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.latimes.com/california&source=gmail&ust=1683818540256000&usg=AOvVaw1H5rONG0jy2aC561uvsslc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CALIFORNIA</a></p><h3 style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 600; letter-spacing: -0.2px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-07-28/california-drought-official-blasts-newsom-administration" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-07-28/california-drought-official-blasts-newsom-administration&source=gmail&ust=1683818540256000&usg=AOvVaw0eKtzUV_y74mFDmMkOP2_o" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">California drought official quits, blasting Newsom for ‘gut wrenching’ inaction</a></h3></div><p style="font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; display: block; margin: 0px; text-transform: none; background-repeat: no-repeat;">July 28, 2022</p></div></div></span></div><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Adán
Ortega Jr., chair of the MWD board, said Gomberg has been asked to
speak to the agency’s staff about his report. The agency will probably
ask him to brief a committee that is working on a climate change
adaptation plan.</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">“I
think the board needs to understand from a variety of perspectives
where the risks are in our delta investments,” Ortega said in an
interview. “I think Metropolitan is looking at the delta with its eyes
open. I think this report points to a lot of things that people are
thinking about, and I’m glad that it’s there to inform the board as we
look at our long-term climate adaptation planning.”</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Ortega said he agrees with some points raised in the report, and “they’re relevant to this discussion that we have to have.”</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">“I
think we’ve spent way too much in the delta in general,” Ortega added.
“Imagine what we could have built down here with that.”</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">The district, he noted, is working on planning a<span> </span><a href="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-07-17/wastewater-recycling-provides-hedge-against-drought" style="text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-07-17/wastewater-recycling-provides-hedge-against-drought&source=gmail&ust=1683818540256000&usg=AOvVaw0fEVQoW-HGLgnBQWvU0Yp5" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">large wastewater recycling project</a><span> </span>in Southern California.</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Ortega cited the many years of conflicts over versions of the delta project, including a<span> </span><a href="https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-tunnels-size-20180207-story.html" style="text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-tunnels-size-20180207-story.html&source=gmail&ust=1683818540256000&usg=AOvVaw0zyFDRC0YQimuHiC70VO90" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">two-tunnel proposal</a><span> </span>under former Gov. Jerry Brown, as well as other water-related decisions in the delta.</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">“The
same thing is happening with respect to the single tunnel, in terms of
the challenges against it, that were happening against the dual tunnel,”
Ortega said. “If you look at the history of these bay delta
discussions, it’s litigation after litigation, challenge after challenge
— on the permits, on everything.</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">“From
what I’ve been told by staff here, we’re not going to be building any
delta conveyance within this next planning horizon. Our planning horizon
is 25 years,” he said.</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Ortega
said he is assuming that during his tenure as chair, the project will
stay “in the background, simply because of the litigious and challenging
history of it.” He said when asked if he is in favor of the project,
his response is, “This debate is impractical.”</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">“It’s
not doing the delta any good, because it prevents the long-term
planning that needs to take place there,” Ortega said. “I want to see
some analysis of the climate change impacts in the delta.”</p><div style="width: 680px; clear: both; margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><span style="display: block; padding: 20px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat;"><div style="margin: 0px 20px 0px 0px; max-width: 110px; width: 110px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-04-01/a-2-6-billion-drought-deal-is-drawing-fire-in-california" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; display: block; padding-bottom: 73.25px; background-repeat: no-repeat; min-height: 0px;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-04-01/a-2-6-billion-drought-deal-is-drawing-fire-in-california&source=gmail&ust=1683818540256000&usg=AOvVaw0_mJwuNfasNW-RDHr5cjhQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="background-repeat: no-repeat;"><img alt="The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta near the town of Rio Vista" src="https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/ggFyx3IJQT5KtwCNHLgmaIuihKSIbwzNXWxKyppmyzY9WcPlsU6irXDj215lmGobM--JNzQNCwIdAOOFVpOS5ljVMpIyr4I02sOPP736_xM1Pz6bHuY75SaGwaVyyd9lDvBiqx5y1wlM3x3EwyBg4lB2TKfXPFLalbM0h5S0BsP8onhbTTaU_kCeDrziHRIEB0dks24jhoX5D5W_bYyFAmUsKYP4kelYudYJk0TAq3zm1Y0f1VW46U8vHEBWoJtA6kzxJsix0TZG-BUeLsSN-Vt8vtxgdDWqPQSzjbKspy-93SYA7jKe4JpGg5B8WEfVyeqkcIyNhhl0OyhROMAwYMhvTfmBOvegER12-2BLysN2s6y3eGRqFxeGJJNh0TOtPKcmAFk26ZLQOZMl5pul_IlT=s0-d-e1-ft#https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e020a67/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1577x1051+161+0/resize/840x560!/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa7%2F01%2Fbcc5ef4546cca7498f0b74540e17%2Fimg-la-me-ln-sacramentos-2-1-sn5s4vdc-l220967797.JPG" style="vertical-align: middle; display: block; max-width: 753px; width: 100%; color: transparent; background-repeat: no-repeat;" class="ydpaead3800CToWUd" data-bit="iit" data-inlineimagemanipulating="true"></span></a></div><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat;"><div style="background-repeat: no-repeat;"><p style="font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-transform: uppercase; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><a href="https://www.latimes.com/california" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; color: inherit; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.latimes.com/california&source=gmail&ust=1683818540256000&usg=AOvVaw1H5rONG0jy2aC561uvsslc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CALIFORNIA</a></p><h3 style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 600; letter-spacing: -0.2px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-04-01/a-2-6-billion-drought-deal-is-drawing-fire-in-california" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-04-01/a-2-6-billion-drought-deal-is-drawing-fire-in-california&source=gmail&ust=1683818540256000&usg=AOvVaw0_mJwuNfasNW-RDHr5cjhQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">California says $2.6-billion pact can protect delta amid drought. Critics disagree</a></h3></div><p style="font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; display: block; margin: 0px; text-transform: none; background-repeat: no-repeat;">April 1, 2022</p></div></div></span></div><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Others
argue that California needs the project. Water managers have said
building it would help ensure that the State Water Project can more
reliably capture and move water.</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">The Department of Water Resources<span> </span><a href="https://water.ca.gov/News/Blog/2023/April-23/How-Modernizing-Infrastructure-Can-Help-to-Capture-More-Storm-Flow" style="text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://water.ca.gov/News/Blog/2023/April-23/How-Modernizing-Infrastructure-Can-Help-to-Capture-More-Storm-Flow&source=gmail&ust=1683818540256000&usg=AOvVaw2HUa7NCiquDOv1NSxxz-8v" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">said recently</a><span> </span>that
if the project had been operational during the storms in January, it
would have been able to send much more water south toward San Luis
Reservoir “while still meeting fishery and water quality protections and
regulations.”</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">The
project is “is essential to maintain reliable water supplies,
particularly as we deal with more prolonged droughts and periods of
intense flooding,” said Nicolette Velazquez, a spokesperson for<span> </span><a href="https://watersecurityca.com/coalition/" style="text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://watersecurityca.com/coalition/&source=gmail&ust=1683818540256000&usg=AOvVaw3HgMGFTb87Sw87BSD18R3N" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Californians for Water Security</a>.</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Gomberg disagreed, saying that during dry conditions, environmental restrictions reduce the amount of water that can be pumped.</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">“These restrictions are going to be there. And the so-called reliability of this project is not,” Gomberg said.</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Gomberg
said the MWD needs to “reevaluate its business model.” He pointed out
that the district is a wholesaler of imported water, and the vast
majority of its revenue comes from selling water. But those sales have
declined in recent years as residents have continued to conserve,
bringing down the region’s water footprint.</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">“As
those water sales decline, that is going to put an increasing strain on
Met’s budget and create a set of difficult economic decisions about
whether to try to increase revenues by increasing prices, diversify the
revenue stream, cut expenses — but something has to give,” Gomberg said.
“Otherwise, the financial position for Met and the affordability issues
for the customers, households in Southern California, are going to be
increasingly dire.”</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">He
suggested that as a large landowner, the MWD could generate revenue by
leasing land to put up solar panels or install telecommunications
equipment.</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">As the district’s officials work on developing a climate adaptation plan in the coming months, they are preparing for<span> </span><a href="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2023-04-11/federal-government-options-colorado-river-crisis" style="text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2023-04-11/federal-government-options-colorado-river-crisis&source=gmail&ust=1683818540256000&usg=AOvVaw34CxVFwLp-0TVnHo7dtf4s" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">expected cuts</a><span> </span>in
supplies from the Colorado River. The river’s reservoirs have been
severely depleted during 23 years of drought worsened by global warming,
and the federal government is considering options for preventing
reservoirs from falling to critically low levels.</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">The
district’s managers have increasingly focused on plans to invest in
local projects, such as recycling wastewater, to become less reliant on
imported water.</p><p style="margin: 30px 0px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">“What
we really need to do is figure out our business model so that we could
sustain the enormous cost of building the local projects that we all
want to build,” Ortega said. “I think the region recognizes that we have
some huge challenges in building up our local resiliency.”</p></div><div style="margin: 0px auto 40px; max-width: 680px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><a href="https://www.latimes.com/environment" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; padding: 0px 5px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.latimes.com/environment&source=gmail&ust=1683818540256000&usg=AOvVaw3XtafKA3aFN2aacEKuQsLq" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT</a><a href="https://www.latimes.com/california" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; padding: 0px 5px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.latimes.com/california&source=gmail&ust=1683818540256000&usg=AOvVaw1H5rONG0jy2aC561uvsslc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CALIFORNIA</a><a href="https://www.latimes.com/topic/california-drought" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; padding: 0px 5px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.latimes.com/topic/california-drought&source=gmail&ust=1683818540256000&usg=AOvVaw0ktmSPn1yh2ZZwVytBO8_o" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WATER & DROUGHT</a></div><span style="display: block; padding: 0px 20px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><div style="font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; padding-top: 20px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><div style="text-align: center; margin: 10px 15px 10px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><span style="width: 1px; padding: 0px; border-color: currentcolor; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; text-align: left; background-repeat: no-repeat; min-height: 1px;">Newsletter</span></div><p style="font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; margin: 5px 0px 0px; text-align: left; width: 633.667px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Stay tuned for more Repowering the West</p></div><p style="font-weight: 500; font-style: normal; margin: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: left; letter-spacing: -0.14px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Get our Boiling Point newsletter for the next installment in this series — and behind-the-scenes stories.</p><form method="post" action="https://membership.latimes.com/subscription-services/v1/newsletters/subscriptions" style="background-repeat: no-repeat;" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><div style="background-color: rgb(225, 35, 39); border-radius: 0px 0px 4px 4px; font-family: BentonGothic, arial, helvetica neue, helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 600; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; text-transform: uppercase; background-repeat: no-repeat;"></div><div style="width: 390px; min-width: 230px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"></div></form></span><span style="display: block; padding: 0px 20px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><p style="font-weight: 500; 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text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; height: auto; width: auto; border-color: currentcolor; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; border-radius: 2px; background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/latimes&source=gmail&ust=1683818540256000&usg=AOvVaw1Gw2se8Ms6H7-UY6BlVrHZ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="width: auto; height: auto; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-color: currentcolor; border-style: none; border-width: 0px; font-weight: 500; font-style: normal; text-transform: capitalize; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Facebook</span></a></li></ul></div></div><p style="font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; margin: 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Ian
James is a reporter who focuses on water in California and the West.
Before joining the Los Angeles Times in 2021, he was an environment
reporter at the Arizona Republic and the Desert Sun. He previously
worked for the Associated Press as a correspondent in the Caribbean and
as bureau chief in Venezuela. He is originally from California.</p></div></div></div><div style="margin-top: 20px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><span style="padding-bottom: 40px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><div style="min-height: 495px; background-repeat: no-repeat;"><div id="ydpaead3800m_5836613200680983428gmail-_connatix_5m57s6x" style="background-repeat: no-repeat;"><br></div></div></span></div></div><div><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>