In case you missed it:
LA Times Reports on
Bay Delta Committee Meeting at MWD Yesterday
Bettina Boxall of the LA Times summarized The Bay Delta Committee Meeting at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California headquarters in her article, “A nearly $17-billion water project is being planned for California. What will it cost the Southland?”
Boxall describes a divided collective of public comments, split between business representatives in favor of the tunnels and environmental organizations and local ratepayers in opposition. Several board members—including vice chair John Murray Jr.—expressed needing more time to decide the best course of action before their scheduled September 26th vote.
Boxall writes:
“As outlined by the MWD staff, the largely urban customers of the State Water Project would pay 55% of its cost, or $9.2 billion. The largely agricultural customers of the federal Central Valley Project would pay for 45%, or $7.5 billion.
Obegi and others said that breakdown was unrealistic for a couple of reasons.
First, growers can’t afford to pay that much. And irrigation districts with senior water rights and wildlife refuges — which both receive water from the delta — would not have to share the tunnel costs.
The State Water Project could wind up paying for 65% to 75% of the tunnels, driving up MWD’s cost, according to critics.”
To read the rest of the article, click here.
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