LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jeffrey Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, issues the following statement on today’s announcement by the Newsom Administration to begin the environmental review process for the construction of a single-tunnel project to modernize conveyance through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and improve water supply reliability for the state.
“We are pleased that Gov. Newsom’s Administration has reaffirmed a strong commitment to modernize the state’s water delivery infrastructure with a single-tunnel project in the Delta. We will work with the administration to expeditiously advance a project that is long overdue to both meet the water reliability needs of the state and minimize impacts to the communities and ecology of the Delta.
“Governor Newsom and Natural Resources Secretary Crowfoot recognize that the status quo in the Delta is simply not an option. New conveyance is essential. The current system is already outdated and vulnerable; climate change will further stress it with a future of sea level rise and increasingly intense floods and droughts. We must work together to update California’s infrastructure and make our water supply more climate resilient.”
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a state-established cooperative that, along with its 26 cities and retail suppliers, provide water for nearly 19 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs.
