An aerial view of the California Aqueduct looking north over Interstate 5 in the Central Valley. Credit: CA. DWR

What you need to know: The recent votes of Alameda County Water District, Palmdale Water District, and Desert Water Agency — representing hundreds of thousands of Californians — follow numerous other districts in supporting continued planning, permitting and engineering design to protect water access against the threats of climate change for 27 million Californians.

November 21, 2024 - SACRAMENTO — Within the past week, a series of major water agencies have voted in favor of the next phase of funding for the Delta Conveyance Project, illustrating continued support for this necessary infrastructure that will protect access to clean drinking water for 27 million Californians.

Alameda County Water District, Desert Water Agency, and Palmdale Water District all voted in favor of supporting this critical project. These follow other water agencies throughout the state representing 2.6 million people that have also voted in favor of moving the next phase of the project forward: 

• Coachella Valley Water District
• Crestline-Lake Arrowhead Water Agency
• Mojave Water Agency
• 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

“California is going to lose 10% of its entire water supply — doing nothing is not an option. This project, which would ensure clean drinking water for millions of Californians, has been right-sized to one tunnel and is critical to our all-of-the-above strategy to boost water supplies.”

The updated 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.

Why it’s needed

California is expected to lose 10% of its water supply due to hotter and drier conditions, threatening the water supply for millions of Californians. Extreme weather whiplash will result in more intense swings between droughts and floods – California’s 60-year-old water infrastructure is not built for these climate impacts. During atmospheric rivers this year, the Delta Conveyance Project could have captured enough water for 9.8 million people’s yearly usage.
 

How it works

The redesigned Delta Conveyance Project would upgrade the State Water Project, enabling California’s water managers to capture and move more water during high flow atmospheric rivers to better endure dry seasons. The tunnel, a modernization of the infrastructure system that delivers water to millions of people, would improve California’s ability to take advantage of intense periods of rain and excess flows in the Sacramento River. 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.
Source: Office of the Governor