Monday May 19, 2025
Recordnet —
Elected officials and advocacy groups in San Joaquin County are sounding the alarm after Gov. Gavin Newsom called for fast-tracking the Delta Conveyance Project.
The $20 billion project would divert water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and send it south. Critics warn it could drain water needed for agriculture in the Central Valley and harm Delta smelt, Chinook salmon and other imperiled fish.
“This $20 billion boondoggle won’t create a single drop of water for anyone, yet Sacramento is doing everything they can — including ducking the law — to force its destructive effects and ballooning costs on Delta families,” U.S. Rep. Josh Harder, D-Tracy, said in a statement. “The Delta tunnel is a direct attack on the region’s economy, and it’s clear that politicians care more about lawns in Beverly Hills than protecting the fruit and nut basket of the world.”
In February, Harder reintroduced a bill in Congress known as the Stop the Delta Tunnel Act. The bill would prohibit the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from issuing a federal permit needed to implement the project.