McNerney: California should pursue better alternatives to the costly Delta Tunnel Project

Millions of Californians rely on freshwater from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, and a half-million people who live in and around the Delta depend on the largest estuary on the West Coast for their livelihoods.

But the Delta region is at serious risk. Gov. Gavin Newsom is attempting to fast-track the construction of a massive, budget-busting water tunnel through the Delta to ship freshwater to Southern California and the Southern San Joaquin Valley.

The 45-mile-long, $20 billion-plus tunnel, which would take at least 15 years to complete, would inflict widespread environmental damage and destroy thousands of acres of prime farmland and historic cultural and tribal resources. The project is the latest version of the Peripheral Canal proposal that California voters rejected in 1982.

The governor and supporters of the Delta Tunnel Project contend that it is necessary to safeguard against climate change, sea level rise and earthquakes. But in this era of budget uncertainty and deep federal cuts, California should table the pricey tunnel project and instead pursue alternatives that are far more affordable, better for the environment, and will achieve superior results.

For the full op-ehttps://stocktonia.org/news/opinion/2025/08/24/mcnerney-ca-should-pursue-better-alternatives-to-the-costly-delta-tunnel-project/d, click here.