From News Line, a daily compilation of farm water news distributed to CFWC members and others upon request. To receive News Line, click here.

Delta tunnels will not protect California’s water supply from earthquakes

Coalition response…Department of Water Resources Director Mark Cowin wrote in the Nov. 7, 2012 Mercury News (http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_21952433/mark-cowin-levees-alone-wont-secure-californias-water) that “California has invested to keep key sections of Delta levees strong — $300 million since 2005 — and will continue to do so. But to rely solely on levees to safeguard a water supply critical to the state’s nearly $2 trillion economy would be negligent.” Cowin’s column correctly explained that to solely rely on the Delta levees to safeguard the water supply for 25 million Californians and 3 million acres of farmland would be an unwise choice.

A single focus on the levees does not provide a reliable water supply as mandated by the State Legislature in 2009. Levees also do not restore the Delta ecosystem. The Bay Delta Conservation Plan, which includes the twin tunnels under the Delta, accomplishes the legislative goals and is California’s best choice for a secure water future.