Sacramento-
San Joaquin
Bay Delta

A healthy Delta is essential to California’s environmental future.

Support Sensible Alternatives to the Bay Delta Tunnels

The Delta tunnels, a proposal to divert Sacramento River water bound for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, will not solve California’s water challenges. These tunnels would transport water directly to Central Valley farms and urban users in the Bay Area and Southern California. Sierra Club supports robust alternatives to the tunnels that would provide better long-term water security for all Californians and would have fewer negative environmental impacts.

A healthy Delta is essential to California’s financial and environmental future.

• The Bay-Delta ecosystem is collapsing partly because of excessive water diversions.
• The Bay Delta Conservation Plan, which includes the two 30-mile-long, 4-story-diameter tunnels, would accelerate the decline of the largest estuary on the west coast, which provides essential habitat for native and migratory species.
• Salmon runs that rely on a healthy Delta support a billion-dollar commercial salmon industry as well as a valuable recreational fishing economy in rural communities.
• The giant tunnels would ultimately reduce California’s water security by increasing dependence on unreliable water imports formany farmers and urban dwellers.

The tunnels are a risky and expensive proposition for California.

• The tunnels would provide a false sense of water security and encourage unsustainable use of water in cities and farms across the state.
• This project would burden Californians with an enormous financial commitment without guaranteeing any additional water for agriculture or urban areas. In dry years like 2014 –which scientists predict may become the norm due to our changing climate–there may not be enough water to move through the tunnels.
• If we gamble $67 billion on building the giant tunnels, there will not be enough money to invest in local solutions that would improve water security throughout the state and create local jobs through investment in smaller infrastructure projects.
• There are better ways to address California’s water challenges.

Support Regional Solutions to Improve Water Security

Improve Water Independence, Create Jobs and Reduce Environmental Impacts

• Encourage urban uptake of water efficient technologies. Landscaping uses roughly half of residential water. Replacing thirsty lawns with drought tolerant landscaping, installing smart irrigation technology, using rainwater and graywater , and promoting aggressive rebate programs for efficient appliances could reduce urban water use by 30%.
• Maintain existing infrastructure. About 10% of urban water is lost through leak sin aging distribution infrastructure, wasting energy and precious water.
• Require statewide water meters and detailed usage reports for consumers. California should accelerate the timeline for every home and business to have a dedicated water meter. Cities currently have until 2025 to complete this process. In an East Bay pilot study, home usage reports led to a 6.6% reduction in water use.
• Promote water recycling. Recycling municipal wastewater could save up to 2.3 million acre-feet annually, according to the Department of Water Resources. A successful water recycling program already exists in Orange County.
• Improve agricultural water efficiency. Agriculture uses 75 to 80 percent of California’s water. Agricultural conservation strategies — including weather-based irrigation controllers, drip irrigation and climate-appropriate crop selection — could yield over 3.4 million acre-feet in water savings.
• Manage groundwater sustainably. California is one of the few states in the nation that does not regulate groundwater, which has led to unsustainable levels of overdraft, damage to aquifer storage capacity, and dramatic land subsidence.
• Require water-neutral development. SB610 and SB221 require proof of available water supply for new development projects. These laws should be strengthened to more effectively prevent unsustainable growth. These and other measures could reduce statewide water demand by 9.7 million acre feet/year. That’s more water than is exported from the Delta even in rainy years.Sierra Club California supports common-sense alternatives to the costly giant tunnels gamble.

These and other measures could reduce statewide water demand by 9.7 Million acre feet/year. That’s more water than is exported from the Delta even in rainy years.

Sierra Club California supports common-sense alternatives to the costly giant tunnels gamble.

Documents

Sierra Club California’s Smart Water Alternatives to the Bay Delta Conveyance Project
White Paper by Sierra Club California December 2022
California needs a statewide water policy that gives all Californians adequate clean drinking water; respects and protects our rivers, streams, bays and deltas; and supports a sustainable economy…

Stop the Bay Delta Tunnels and Fix Southern California Water Systems
Sierra Club Angeles Chapter Press release July 31 2014
Water agency money earmarked for the wrong-headed Bay Delta Tunnels in Northern California should be spent to upgrade and repair Southern California’s aging 100-year-old water system. It’s essential to prevent massive water loss due to broken water mains, a catastrophe that’s been unfolding…

Clean, Sustainable and Reliable Water Supply: Alternatives to the Giant Bay Delta Tunnels
White Paper by Sierra Club California December 2013
California needs a statewide water policy that gives all Californians adequate clean drinking water; respects and protects our rivers, streams, bays and deltas; and supports a sustainable economy…

Fact Sheets and PDFs on the Delta Project

Videos on the Delta