California WaterFix

On 21.7.2017 the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) certified the

environmental analysis of the California WaterFix project, also known as the Delta tunnels, under the hub of California’s waterworks. The long-planned for project, California WaterFix still needs a number of other permits, as well as the financial support of major water districts, before construction can begin.

The WaterFix will modernize a 50-year-old water delivery system that is increasingly vulnerable to disruption by natural disaster and climate change. With new intakes along the Sacramento River, the project would also give water project operators the flexibility to divert water at times of high flow when the risk to native fish at the new diversion facilities is minimal, thus better balancing water supply and environmental protection needs.

Certification comes after more than a decade of analysis, review, and public comment. State and federal water and wildlife agencies have been working since 2006 to find the best way to improve how the State Water Project and Central Valley Project obtain water from the channels of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Together, the projects supply 25 million Californians with some or all of their drinking water supply and help irrigate three million acres of farmland. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) certification, Notice of Determination, and decision documents put WaterFix a step closer to construction, which could  begin as early as 2018. Visit https://www.californiawaterfix.com/. 30/17.