Author: Ryan Sabalow / Source: sacbee
Gov. Gavin Newsom, diving into one of California’s most contentious water issues, said Tuesday he wants to downsize the Delta tunnels project. The Democratic governor also set out to overhaul state water policy by naming a new chair of the state’s water board.
Newsom said he wants the twin-tunnel project — designed to re-engineer the troubled estuary that serves as the hub of California’s elaborate water-delivery system — reduced to a single tunnel.
“I do not support the WaterFix as currently configured,” Newsom said during his first State of the State address, using the official term for the Delta project. “Meaning, I do not support the twin tunnels. We can build, however, on the important work that’s already been done.
That’s why I do support a single tunnel.”The announcement likely means the project would require a fresh set of environmental reviews before it can proceed, translating into additional delays for a project that’s been in the planning stage for more than a decade and will take an estimated 15 years to build.
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At the same time, a single tunnel would almost certainly save billions of dollars for a project, which carries a current price tag of $16.7 billion, that’s had trouble achieving full funding.
Newsom also attempted to strike a more centrist tone on water policy in general, saying “we have to get past the old binaries, like farmers versus environmentalists, or North versus South.” He appointed a new chair of the State Water Resources Control board, Joaquin Esquivel, whom the governor said will “help bring this balance.”
A former assistant secretary at the state Natural Resources Agency, Esquivel has been a board member for two years and will replace Felicia Marcus, a former official with the Natural Resources Defense Council, who frustrated farmers and the city San Francisco over plans to reallocate water from farms and cities to prop up struggling fish populations.
She has chaired the water board since 2013 and her term expired last month.
In addition, Newsom reiterated his support for a drinking water tax that would raise millions for troubled water agencies plagued with unsafe supplies, including…
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