Sacramento River pipeline proposal hopes to support population needs

STOCKTON, CA - SEPTEMBER 28: Water pump pipes are seen at the Little Connection of the San Joaquin River in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, on September 28, 2005 near Stockton, California. Officials say that the dikes of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta are in worse shape than those that broke and flooded New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. There is a two-in-three chance that a catastrophic earthquake or storm in the next 50 years will damage the levees enough to cause the kind destruction that engulfed New Orleans, according to experts. Such an event would affect the water supply that serves two-thirds of California and create a nightmare traffic jam on Highway 4, the two-lane road that would be the major evacuation route, if it is not damaged beyond usability. 1,600 miles of levees protect the delta’s islands, which lie well below sea-level, and most were built more than 100 years ago. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

Governor Jerry Brown and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will announce a proposed plan today to build two massive tunnels that would carry water south from the Sacramento River.

The project would cost $14 billion and construction would start in 2017. It is scheduled to take nine years to complete.

Project proponents say the “peripheral tunnel” would provide the state with a more reliable supply of water and help restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Opponents say the state should focus on improving existing infrastructure and water conservation.

The project could impact already threatened and endangered species and ecosystems. Environmentalists could file lawsuits once a final environmental impact statement is released. Farmers say they need the water and can’t conserve any more than they already are.

Will this water delivery system be enough to support our growing population needs? Or does the state need to come up with different ways of dealing with an already strapped water situation?

Guests:

Steve Arakawa, Manager of Bay-Delta Initiatives, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

Jim Metropulos, Senior Advocate, Sierra Club California and a water specialist