California’s water infrastructure is buckling under the weight of inaction. The State Water Project — the backbone of water delivery for 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland — is being pushed to the brink by climate change, extreme weather swings and seismic vulnerabilities. … The Delta Conveyance Project is the critical upgrade we need. It’s a well-studied, extensively vetted and urgently needed modernization of the very infrastructure that underpins the health, safety and prosperity of much of California. But despite its importance, the DCP has been stalled for nearly two decades by duplicative permitting, frivolous lawsuits and a maze of redundant bureaucratic hurdles — all while our climate risks mount and our water delivery system grows more fragile. That’s why Governor Newsom’s proposal in the May Revise budget to streamline administrative process is exactly the right move at exactly the right time.
–Written by Jennifer Pierre, general manager of State Water Contractors.