Newsom Revamps Water Tunnel Efforts

Sacramento, CA — After scrapping former Governor Jerry Brown’s plan for a twin tunnel water project, Governor Gavin Newsom is now proposing a smaller single tunnel project.

The Associated Press reports that Newsom’s administration this week filed a formal Notice of Preparation for the project, which is the first step in the lengthy environmental review process. The tunnel would pump water from the San Joaquin Delta to Southern California. State officials have not released a projected price tag for the tunnel. The revamped plan is expected to be smaller and carry less water than the initially proposed twin tunnel, which was projected to cost around $20-billion.

The twin tunnel plan was a signature project of former Governor Brown, but Governor Newsom dropped the plan during the early months of his administration. The AP reports that talk of a new single tunnel project has received early criticism from groups like the Sierra Club and support from the California Building Industry Association.