The CA Department of Water Resources has fundamentally failed to show that the Delta Tunnel plan would create a reliable water supply while protecting & restoring the Delta ecosystem - and at the extraordinary cost of *over $20 billion*
https://www.courthousenews.com/delta-conveyance-project-opponents-say-plan-would-hurt-environment-tourism-farming/
#deltatunnel #deltaconveyanceproject #cawater #californiawater
via @indybay
Tribes, enviros speak out against trailer bills to fast-track #DeltaTunnel project
“Delta tribes deserve a responsible and equitable approach to water management in the state that does not require jamming a tunnel through the Delta, destroying our ancestral homelands and waterways, or desecrating sacred sites and ancestral remains,” said Malissa Tayaba, Vice Chair with the #ShingleSpringsBand of #MiwokIndians.
by Dan Bacher
Mon, Aug 11, 2025 4:19PM
Sacramento, CA – "On an unusually mild summer day, Tribal leaders and environmental justice advocates met with legislators at the State Capitol on July 16 for the 2025 Day of Action for #WaterJustice.
"They urged the legislators to reject Governor Newsom’s proposed trailer bills that they say would fast-track the Delta Conveyance Project (#DCP) and bypass critical #EnvironmentalProtections at a time when the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is in unprecedented ecological crisis — and a number of fish species are on the edge of #extinction.
"The day-long event started with meetings between Tribal members, environmental advocates and legislators to urge support for 'equitable, science-based water solutions' that protect the #BayDelta and to reject the financially reckless Delta Conveyance Project that threatens ecosystems, Tribal sovereignty, and public health, according to a statement from #RestoreTheDelta.
[...]
"At the press conference on the Capitol steps, advocates called on lawmakers to reject trailer bills that would provide CEQA exemptions for the #DeltaConveyanceProject, circumventing existing law, court rulings and public opinion.
"Specifically, the coalition called on lawmakers to:
- Vote NO on SB 72 that undermines the #DeltaReformAct and sets arbitrary water supply targets;
- Vote YES on AB 362 that protects tribal beneficial uses of water and to;
- Vote YES on AB 263, extending emergency protections currently in place for the #ScottRiver and #ShastaRiver, a high priority for the recovery of #CohoSalmon.
"Speakers at the press conference included representatives from the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians and the #WinnememWintu Tribe, as well as elected leaders and representatives from Restore the Delta, #SierraClub California, #FriendsOfTheRiver, #DefendersOfWildlife, #SanFranciscoBaykeeper and the #DeltaCountiesCoalition.
"Malissa Tayaba, Vice Chair with the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, began the press conference emphasizing the harm that the Delta Tunnel would cause to Tribes and #disadvantaged communities.
" 'Delta tribes deserve a responsible and equitable approach to water management in the state that does not require jamming a tunnel through the Delta, destroying our #AncestralHomelands and waterways, or desecrating #SacredSites and ancestral remains,' said Tayaba. 'Our culture and identities are intrinsically tied to the Delta. There is no price tag worth paying that would ever justify the harm done to us or the unquantifiable costs that Tribes and disadvantaged communities would ultimately bear.'
"Gary Mulcahy, Government Liaison with the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, followed Tayaba by stating, “There is nothing about the Delta Tunnel Project that significantly benefits anyone except #BigAg and south of the Delta water agencies, while putting #EndangeredSpecies, tribal cultural resources, and disadvantaged communities and the viability of the S.F Bay-Delta itself at risk. #CEQA exemptions continue to attempt to erase Tribes from #WaterGovernance.”
[...]
" 'Instead of wasting ratepayer money to keep pushing this expensive environmental justice debacle, we need to sees investments in local water supply like #RecycledWater, and the Freshwater Pathways program that would improve Delta levees to keep communities safe and improve State Water Project reliability in an emergency. We urge a commitment to vote NO on the return the Delta Conveyance Project and Bay Delta Water Quality Control Plan bills,' Wagner said."
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2025/08/11/18878845.php
#WaterIsLife #TribalGovernance #CulturalPreservation #CulturalErasure #BigAgriculture #BigWater #GavinNewsome #CaliforniaPol #Graywater
“Delta tribes deserve a responsible and equitable approach to water management in the state that does not require jamming a tunnel through the Delta, destroying our ancestral homelands and waterways, or desecrating sacred sites and ancestral remains,” said Malissa Tayaba, Vice Chair with the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians.
🚨 California's $200M fund for Delta tunnel communities faces fury from 100+ legislators!
45-mile underground project sparks massive opposition 💧⚡
https://www.karmactive.com/californias-200-million-delta-tunnel-plan-faces-fierce-opposition-from-100-legislators/
Follow @karmactive for more updates 📱
California allocates $200 million for Delta communities affected by controversial 45-mile water tunnel, but fierce opposition from 100+ legislators and local residents threatens the $20 billion project.
Action Alert 🚨 Newsom is attempting to fast track the destructive, costly & wasteful Delta Conveyance Project—aka the #DeltaTunnel—through 2 trailer bills.
We need you to speak out! Please call or email your CA reps to urge them to oppose these trailer bills.
You can use our script to voice your opposition:
"What the governor calls barriers, we call laws," Baykeeper science director @jarosenfield says of Newsom's statement about removing "barriers" to his disastrous (& unpopular) Delta Tunnel plan
https://calmatters.org/environment/water/2025/05/california-lawmakers-governor-plan-to-streamline-delta-tunnel/ #deltatunnel #californiadelta #cawater @CALMatters
The Water Board will be meeting on Monday on Zoom for input on whether to move forward with the disastrous #DeltaTunnel plan—and we need as many people as possible to show up to oppose it.
Help us get the word out about why this destructive, wasteful project must be stopped!
Instructions for participating in the meeting are here:
https://baykeeper.org/update/help-us-stop-the-delta-tunnel-on-march-24/
The State Water Board will be meeting on Zoom on March 24 starting at 9am for input on whether to move forward with the disastrous Delta Tunnel plan—and we need as many people as possible to show up to oppose it. See the agenda below for information about joining the hearing on Zoom. If you
The Newsom Administration wants to spend $20 billion of taxpayer dollars to build a giant tunnel that would 1) degrade water quality, 2) cause native species to go extinct & 3) do absolutely nothing to fix CA's water woes.
❗Learn more & take action here: https://baykeeper.org/stop-newsoms-deadly-delta-tunnel-project/
#deltatunnel #cadelta #sfbay #sanfranciscobay #cawater #californiawater #newsom #gavinnewsom
Governor Newsom and the Department of Water Resources (DWR) have been gunning for a new Delta Tunnel to send fresh water from the Bay and its tributaries to profit megafarms and large landowners. But taking more water from the Bay’s watershed through a new $20 billion tunnel would be a disaster. The additional water diversion
Man, they're not even delaying till the new report comes out in April. (Report would further constrain the amount of water that could leave the Delta.)
San Francisco Baykeeper
andybrwn
DoomsdaysCW
Karmactive
Alex Spehr