FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 16, 2022
Contact: Brandon Dawson, brandon.dawson@sierraclub.org
Sierra Club California Submits Public Comment on Draft Environmental Impact Report for Delta Conveyance Project
The public comment period began on July 27, 2022 and ended today, December 16. The draft EIR is nearly 20,000 pages long and has 39 chapters. Sierra Club California staff and volunteers submitted comments on over 20 chapters, including energy, air quality, greenhouse gasses, climate change, and environmental justice impacts of the proposed Delta Tunnel project.
Sierra Club California also circulated a petition for members of the public to send their comments to the Department of Water Resources. The petition gathered over 4,400 comments.
The proposed Delta Conveyance project involves constructing new water intake facilities on the Sacramento River in the north Delta and a single tunnel that would divert freshwater flows before they are able to reach the Delta. The water would be shipped to large farming operations and water wholesalers south of the Delta. The tunnel would have a capacity to divert up to 6,000 cubic feet per second of water. The project is estimated to cost between $16-40 billion – paid for by ratepayers – and won’t be completed until at least 2042.
The Sierra Club California Water Committee also released an updated whitepaper today, Sierra Club California Smart Water Alternatives 2022, which outlines alternatives to the Delta Conveyance Project California should pursue to meet its water resiliency needs – such as local and regional water projects including water conservation, efficiency, recycling, and stormwater capture.
Statement from Brandon Dawson, Sierra Club California Director:
“The Delta tunnel will do nothing but perpetuate California’s water crisis. This is evident in the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR), which is also missing essential analyses and alternatives necessary for CEQA review. The DEIR must be revised and recirculated for public comment. We look forward to reviewing a new DEIR that incorporates a No Tunnel Alternative.
Statement from Charming Evelyn, Co-Chair of the Sierra Club California Water Committee:
“This 40 year old project is on life support and is constantly being given CPR, when voters turned it down in the 80’s as the Peripheral Canal. It’s time to step into the 21st century and focus on local water projects, which would bring local jobs, promote resiliency, give a boost to the local economy, and expand access and affordability to the human right to water.”