Modernized Delta Conveyance
The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (Delta) is the hub of our state’s water delivery system and home to one of California’s most important ecosystems. But the current Delta Conveyance system no longer works. Aging dirt levees are all that protect our main source of water from catastrophic earthquakes, floods and rising sea levels. The environment is deteriorating and water deliveries are constrained by tightening regulations.
We need a modern system that can protect water supplies for people, the environment, farms and the California economy. We need improved Delta Conveyance.
TASK FORCE CHAIRS:
Adnan Anabtawi, Mojave Water Agency
Adam Ariki, Los Angeles County Public Works
Your Voice is Needed!
California’s aging water infrastructure needs your help. Efforts to modernize the state’s water system relied upon by 27 million Californians are once again gaining momentum.
History of the Delta Conveyance Project
SCWC has a long history of supporting modernized Delta Conveyance. In fact, we were founded in 1984 to help support the project following the defeat of the Peripheral Canal. We led the coalition in support of the earlier version of this project, known as California WaterFix. In 2019, the California WaterFix project was revised and renamed. Today, the Delta Conveyance project consists of one pipeline instead of two, but the goal remains the same: improving water supply resiliency for Californians.
The Delta Conveyance project is a key action in Governor Newsom’s Water Resilience Portfolio, a comprehensive document accounting for the challenges and opportunities facing the state and its communities as we seek to secure every Californian’s right to water.
Introducing the Delta Conveyance Project: Modernizing California’s Water Infrastructure
The California Department of Water Resources has issued an Environmental Impact Report for the Delta Conveyance project, a crucial upgrade to our state’s water infrastructure. This ambitious initiative aims to enhance the reliability and flexibility of the State Water Project system, which supplies water to Southern California, Central Valley, and the Bay Area from the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Unlike previous versions, today’s proposed Delta Conveyance Project represents a significant departure. It has been carefully downsized, refined, rerouted, and redesigned to better fulfill the needs of the communities it serves.
Since its launch in January 2020, a comprehensive review and planning process has been underway. The California Department of Water Resources is currently completing the final Environmental Impact Report. Previous announcements from the DWR suggest that the report will be published in late 2023.
Get ready for a groundbreaking project that will revolutionize California’s water infrastructure – the Delta Conveyance Project is here to deliver greater reliability and flexibility to communities across the state.
Read our educational materials about Delta Conveyance HERE.
Widespread Support for Delta Conveyance
Read a commentary by SCWC Board Chair, Mayor Acquanetta Warren, on the importance of Delta Conveyance. This ran in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin on October 29, 2023.
Read SCWC’s letter in support of the EIR dated December 12, 2022.
Read SCWC’s letter in support of the Environmental Impact Statement dated February 8, 2023.
Learn More about Delta Conveyance
For more general information about efforts to improve water infrastructure so critical to our state, check out our Delta Conveyance Project resources and stay connected with us to stay updated on the project and opportunities for engagement. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive regular updates delivered directly to your email box.
California’s Department for Water Resources keeps up a robust set of webpages devoted to the project to ensure local input and active engagement on components such as tunnel routes, design concepts, economic development, integrated solutions, construction impacts, and mitigation solutions.