Proponents Thursday pressed lawmakers to adopt Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan  to change longstanding state environmental rules to clear the way for a $20 billion plus tunnel to rob the Delta of benefits from Sacramento River water before heading south to Los Angeles and large corporate farms.

That stance is not sitting well with San Joaquin County leaders.

 Forty-three percent of the Delta is within San Joaquin County where water from the Sacramento watershed helps support the ecological system as well as the largest concentration of prime farmland in California.

“What we heard in Sacramento Thursday was the same old story,” noted Steve Ding, the fourth district representative on the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors.

“The power players in Sacramento, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area are pushing a project that adds no new storage and delivers no new water. They are calling it ‘low-cost’ and ‘affordable.’ I almost spit out my coffee when I heard that. Only in Sacramento would $20 billion be considered a ‘deal’.”

Newsom’s proposal to fast-track the Delta Tunnel Project would effectively eliminate environmental and judicial review of the project, while giving the state a blank check to float bonds to pay for the water tunnel.

Language to do so was in his budget bill. He had to drop it to secure enough votes to pass the budget.

Now, two months later, he’s back with a trailer bill to do the same thing.

“The truth is simple,” Ding said. “The Delta Conveyance Project would devastate the Valley and the Delta. Our farmers, our landowners, and our waterways would be sacrificed so Southern California can take more water.”

Proponents contend they will not be taking more water.

However, a Delta tunnel would function much like the Hetch Hetchy pipeline that diverts water from the Tuolumne River watershed from flowing into the Delta.

Not only is the Delta robbed off that water’s use on the way to San Francisco and the Bay Area, but in times of drought the water San Francisco diverts is not cut back to assure minimum water flows in the Delta.

“This project is not a climate solution,” Ding continued. “Sacramento is asking us to spend more than $20 billion on a distraction that fails to deliver reliable water, fails to protect the Delta, and fails most Californians.”

“The state should be investing in smarter solutions that actually create and store more water and get it to the communities that need it most, without destroying the Delta or the endangered species that live there.”

Independent studies show the state’s $20 billion price tag is unrealistic. Government projects aren’t known for being on time or underbudget, after all.

 On top of that, this plan tosses aside court decisions and voter protections, leaving taxpayers on the hook for the fallout.    

Ding said if the tunnel really had broad support, it would go through the regular legislative process.

“Instead, its backers are relying on special rules and backroom deals,” Ding added, “That tells you everything you need to know: this is a special favor for special interests, not a solution for all of California.”

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com