A plan to install a tunnel beneath a 45-mile stretch of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta has moved closer to final approval after a state agency determined most of the project’s certification was consistent with a regulatory plan. … The Delta Stewardship Council voted 6-1 Thursday to return two issues related to the Delta Conveyance Project back to the California Department of Water Resources for further review, while rejecting most appeals filed by 10 groups challenging the project’s compliance with policies. … The decision allows the state to continue advancing permitting for the proposed 36-foot diameter tunnel, which is intended to move excess rain and flood water through the Delta and deliver it directly into the State Water Project.

Other Delta tunnel news:

• The Sacramento Bee (Calif.): Newsom celebrates Delta tunnel advancement while his bond plan is shot down
• Restore the Delta: News release: Tribal and environmental advocates denounce certification of consistency approval for the Delta Conveyance Project
• State Water Contractors: News release: State Water Contractors applaud the Delta Stewardship Council’s vote of Delta Plan Consistency for the Delta Conveyance Project
• Gov. Gavin Newsom: News release: Delta Conveyance Project achieves important milestone, advances closer to construction
• Daily Kos: Blog: Delta Stewardship Council approves ‘consistency certification’ for delta tunnel – tribes and groups respond