Dicey levee stability — a longtime core argument to build a Delta tunnel to help assure water deliveries to 27 million Californians in the aftermath of a catastrophic seismic event — is being targeted in new legislation.

And it does three other things that the Delta Tunnel project doesn’t do:

*It addresses subsidence issues that have substantially reduced the capacity of the California Aqueduct by as much as 40 percent in spots such as near Mendota.

*It gets Delta water users, environmentalists, and 27 State Water Contractors providing water to 27 million people and 750,000 acres of farmland on the same page.

Subsidence issues involving the aqueduct through the San Joaquin Valley imperil water deliveries to the same 27 million people as well as agricultural users.

Both levee integrity and aqueduct subsidence issues would be addressed in Senate Bill 872 introduced in Sacramento on Wednesday.

It directs $300 million annually from greenhouse gas reduction fees slapped on polluters for the next 20 years to protect the reliability of California’s primary water source for decades to come.

That includes:

*$150 million annually to the Delta Conservancy for levee improvements, including projects that restore habitat.

*$150 million annually to the Department of Water Resources for subsidence repairs along State Water Project canals

San Joaquin County Supervisors Chair Sonny Dhaliwal noted “it makes sense” to address levee issues that would strengthen water reliability and not destabilize the Delta ecological system as the tunnel project would.

“Rather than investing billions in new conveyance infrastructure, state leaders should prioritize regional water resilience strategies such as conservation, groundwater recharge, and local storage including strengthening the levees that protect the Delta,” Dhaliwal said.

“These approaches provide more sustainable, equitable solutions without sacrificing the Delta’s environment or communities.”

The tunnel project would have significant impacts on San Joaquin County given 55 percent of the 1,153 square miles that constitute the Delta are within the county.

It is also where the largest chunk of Delta farm production — 60 percent of $432 million — occurs.

San Joaquin County is the seventh most productive county for agriculture in both California and the United States.

“Historically, California’s water wars have pitted North against South, the environment versus agriculture,” said Sen. McNerney (D-Pleasanton), who is co-chair of the Delta Caucus and whose district includes the heart of the Delta.

“SB 872 is a commonsense solution that brings traditional adversaries together to support vital water projects that will protect California’s water and the Delta, while also benefitting the entire state.”

Those adversaries are environmentalists and state water contractors — suppliers of drinking water to 27 million people and irrigation water to 750,000 acres of farmland.

Environmentalists — plus the five counties where the Delta is located — oppose the tunnel project while the 27 public water agencies that compose the state water contractors support the buried conveyance system.

“The proposed Delta tunnel threatens the ecological health and economic stability of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta,” Dhaliwal said.

“Diverting more water before it flows through the Delta risks worsening salinity, harming fisheries, and undermining local farming communities that depend on reliable water quality. The project also carries massive costs with uncertain benefits for taxpayers across California.”

The basic premises driving the backs of SB 872 are:

*Subsidence of water infrastructure is one of the biggest threats to Californians' water security — more than 200 miles of the State Water Project have been impacted and require significant repairs as soon as possible, or else there is a risk of an 87% reduction in delivery capability.

*The Delta is the largest and most important estuary on the West Coast. It consists of 1,100 miles of levees that protect farms, ecosystems and freshwater from saltwater intrusion and provide essential flood protection for the region, including for more than 500,000 people, along with farms, businesses, and historic resources.

*Many of the Delta’s critical levees date back to the 1800s and no longer meet the US Army Corp of Engineers safety standards. The levees are at risk of breaching.

 The Delta Stewardship Council estimates that necessary levee improvements will cost, in total, about $3.24 billion, but will protect $22 billion in state assets.

Repairs caused by subsidence – the collapse of land due to groundwater overdrafting — are estimated to cost $3 billion over the next 20 years according to the State Water Project.

 “Delta levees have been historically disinvested in, putting the Delta economy and its 4 million county residents at risk,” noted Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta. “We are also committed to working to protect the future health and vitality of the Delta and the tribes and communities that depend on it while remaining committed to reducing reliance on the Delta and exploring other strategies for stabilizing California’s water supply.”

Direct impacts of tunnel

project on SJ County

The potential fallout for San Joaquin County, which has the largest land mass within the Delta region, from the tunnel project includes:

*Extensive damage to the Delta ecological system.

*Negative impact on fish including the endangered Chinook salmon.

*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.

*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.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com