GUEST COMMENTARY: The Twin Tunnels Water Project Jeopardizes the Affordability of Your Water Rates, say Don Nottoli and Oscar Villegas.
From the Delta Counties Coalition, Don Nottoli and Oscar Villegas write, “One of the most monumental and potentially devastating decisions in California’s water history is currently being considered, and the health and sustainability of the backbone of California’s water system and affordability of your water rates are at stake.
The state will be asking your water agency to make a financial commitment to invest in this project.
The Delta Counties Coalition (DCC), comprised of Contra Costa, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, and Yolo Counties, has long-advocated for consideration and analysis of broad alternatives to the twin tunnels project and has suggested projects that would provide a greater benefit to the state by increasing and diversifying state water supplies.
The DCC understands the necessity of exporting water from the Delta to Southern California in the state’s highly engineered water system.
A better alternative to the tunnels that would reduce reliance on the already-strained Delta would be to increase storage throughout the state, which will provide more water and can be done at a significantly lower cost to consumers.
Additional water reuse and recycling projects and water desalination facilities could also be built for roughly the same cost to build the tunnels, producing millions of acre feet of new water supply, reducing reliance on the Delta, and further diversifying and improving the state’s water supplies.
Before your local water agency commits billions of dollars to fund this project through water rate increases, we hope to meet and discuss potential alternatives to better serve you and the Delta.
To learn about a less costly and more sustainable water solutions for California, please visit sharedwatersolutions.com.” ****** The Delta Counties Coalition was formed to better represent nearly 4 million people throughout the Delta region and works collaboratively to give one voice to the Delta and engage in efforts to achieve three goals: improve the Delta ecosystem, provide a more reliable water supply for the state, and protect and enhance Delta communities.
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