Southern California might pay for two Delta tunnels after all
BY DALE KASLER AND RYAN SABALOW,The Sacramento Bee
April 06, 2018 03:05 PM
A powerful Southern California water agency has breathed life back into the twin-tunnels Delta water project, a plan that appeared dead just a few days ago.
In a dramatic 11th-hour pivot, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is considering again whether to finance the lion’s share of the entire Delta tunnels project instead of supporting the scaled-back, single-tunnel approach.
The district, in a memo Friday to its board, said board members will vote next week on supporting one of two options for the controversial project: Spend about $5 billion to help pay for a single tunnel or spend nearly $11 billion to fund the majority share of two tunnels.
Until Friday, Metropolitan was backing the more modest effort to build one tunnel but is reviving the possibility of paying for both tunnels at the prodding of board members from Orange County.
