The official tally shows Kern County water districts are only willing to chip in $11.7 million of $33 million requested by the state toward the planning phase of the so-called delta tunnel, according to figures presented at the July 23 Kern County Water Agency meeting. The agency, which administers the State Water Contract on behalf of 13 local water districts, called “member units,” voted Thursday to approve a funding agreement with the Department of Water Resources that included the reduced amount for planning and pre-construction costs of the 36-foot diameter Delta Conveyance Project. That leaves DWR with a 20% funding gap in the $300 million it needs for this phase.

Other water infrastructure news:

• FOX26 (Bakersfield, Calif.): California has a water storage problem. A Los Banos project hopes to change that.​