The Department of Water Resources just released today, December 8, 2023, the Final Environmental Impact Report for the proposed Delta Conveyance Project, known as the Delta Tunnel. Golden State Salmon Association’s Executive Director, Scott Artis, has released the following statement.
“The salmon industry is already suffering from the Newsom shutdown. California salmon fishing is completely closed in 2023 because the Governor mismanaged our rivers during the drought.
Having spent five years blocking new State flow protections for salmon, he’s now dancing hand-in-hand with water districts on the aching backs of the fishing industry, California residents, and the environment by trying to build one of the biggest salmon killing projects in State history. We don’t need a 1950s-style water project to help California meet 21st century water needs – especially one that looks like an extinction plan for salmon.
This would be a good time for Southern Californians to keep a hand on their wallet. Southern California residents will be on the hook to pay for nearly all of this $20 billion boondoggle. Rich Central Valley agribusiness interests have pushed the tunnel – but they’ll never pay their fair share. The tunnel could cause Southern California water rates to skyrocket – without delivering much benefit. The core problem is that we’re pumping too much water from the Bay-Delta. We need to divert less. Building a $20 billion Delta tunnel would not change that.”