Sacramento, CA — On June 18, 2025, the California Joint Legislative Audit Committee wisely declined a proposal to conduct another audit of the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP), recognizing the extensive oversight and transparency measures already in place. The decision prevents costly delays to a project that is central to modernizing California’s aging water infrastructure and adapting to a changing climate.
The Delta Conveyance Project is a vital upgrade to the State Water Project — the backbone of California’s water delivery system, which supplies clean, affordable water to 27 million people and irrigates 750,000 acres of farmland.
Statement from Charles Wilson, Executive Director of the Southern California Water Coalition:
“We commend the Joint Legislative Audit Committee for rejecting yet another attempt to stall the Delta Conveyance Project under the guise of fiscal scrutiny. The facts are clear: the project is already subject to rigorous oversight, robust public reporting, and transparent local governance by the public water agencies funding it — not the state General Fund.
“More than $290 million has been responsibly invested in environmental review, permitting, planning, and community engagement. These costs have been openly negotiated and are publicly accessible. Repeating the same audits will only waste time and resources without adding value.
“The DCP has undergone extensive review by the Department of Water Resources, which has completed a full Environmental Impact Report and continues to provide financial and operational transparency. The State Water Project, with its 60-year legacy of delivering safe water to urban and agricultural users across California, is in urgent need of this upgrade to protect against climate change, seismic risk, and ecosystem decline.
“We thank the Committee for prioritizing action over obstruction. Californians cannot afford further delay — the time to secure our water future is now.”
The Southern California Water Coalition (SCWC) – established in 1984 – is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public education partnership dedicated to informing Southern Californians about our water needs and our state’s water resources.