Governor Gavin Newsom won’t be able to fast-track the environmental review for the proposed Delta Tunnel.

A deal reached this week as part the state’s $310 billion budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 specifically excluded “the design or construction of through Delta conveyance facilities of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.”

The bipartisan effort in both houses of the legislature to block Newsom’s plan to expedite the tunnel project was led by Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua, D-Stockton.

“A budget proposal at the 11th hour to streamline the massively controversial Delta Tunnel Project was inappropriate from the beginning,” said Villapudua. “Working tirelessly alongside leaders in the Assembly and Senate, we ensured this was the first thing taken off the table when negotiations began. I’m grateful we were able to get to a place that helps cut unnecessary red tape for important projects while continuing to protect the fragile Delta ecosystem.”

The tunnel as outlined in an Army Corps of Engineers review would inflict significant environmental damage and negative economic impacts on the Delta region.

San Joaquín County has 43.2 pe4cvent — or 318,800 acres of the overall 737,400 acres — of the Delta within its boundaries

Villapudua’s successful efforts helped finalize a deal to exclude the Delta Tunnel Project from any proposed streamlining of the environmental review process.

In May, the Governor released an Infrastructure budget proposal to expedite the planning and construction of water projects around California.

This included what Villapudua characterized as a ”dangerous plan” to reduce oversight and ease the construction of a Delta Tunnel  that would decimate surrounding communities and the Delta’s ecosystem at large.

The fast-track bill, which advanced with language excluding the tunnel from such consideration, is aimed at:

*A project that is approved to implement a groundwater sustainability plan that the Department of Water Resources has determined is in compliance with specific sections of the state water code.

*A water storage project funded by the California Water Commission pursuant to the water code.

*Projects for the development of recycled water.

* Contaminant and salt removal projects, including groundwater desalination and associated treatment, storage, conveyance, and distribution facilities. It does not, however, include seawater desalination.

* Projects exclusively for canal or other conveyance maintenance and repair.

Negative impacts of the

proposed Delta tunnel

 Among the Delta tunnel project’s negative impacts as identified in an Army Corps of Engineers review:

*3,787 plus converted acres of prime, unique farmland along with more saline water and reduced crops.

*70 plus significant impacts requiring mitigation.

*17 plus significant impacts on Delta communities identified, including noise, air quality, aesthetics, and agriculture.

*$16 billion cost to statewide ratepayers.

*13 plus years of disruptive construction across 6 counties with 4,383,500+ truck trips on Delta roads. 

*Massive water intake structures on top of productive farms and adjacent to Delta legacy communities

The tunnel — if built — could have domino impacts beyond the actual project.

That’s because courts and the state will be pressed to  seek to replace water that is now used for environmental purposes, keep salt water at bay. and sustain ecological systems before being diverting into the California Aqueduct northwest of Tracy.

By diverting the water into a tunnel south of Sacramento to bypass the Delta to reach the pumping station it would result in higher saltwater intrusion farther east in the Delta especially during droughts.

The most likely target to replace the water are the Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced river watersheds that are key to the economic vitality of Northern San Joaquin Valley urban areas and farming as well as regional ecological systems.

Potential fallout for San Joaquin County, which has the largest land mass within the Delta region, include:

*Extensive damage to the Delta ecological system.

*Negative impact on fish including the endangered Chinook salmon.

*Long-range issues with saltwater intrusion impacting water supplies the cities of Lathrop, Tracy, Manteca, and Stockton take from the underground aquifer that is impacting when fresh water levels above and below  the surface in the Delta drop.

*The quality and sustainability of Delta recreational opportunities.

*Tens of thousands of  acres of farmland, some of the richest agricultural ground in the world, could go out of production.

*Domestic water supplies would be impacted.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com