A draft decision issued Monday on appeals to California’s Delta Conveyance Project appears to hand the state a major win in its battle to make the massive project a reality. However, while discarding most of the appeals against the project, the recommendation to the Delta Stewardship Council calls for sending two issues about the project back to the state Department of Water Resources for reconsideration. It also wants yearly reports from the department about its outreach efforts to tribes and various agencies. … A formal vote on the decision by the council is expected [Thursday]. …The project calls for two intake facilities by the Sacramento River, near the town of Hood, that could handle 6,000 cubic feet of water per second. A tunnel some 45 miles in length would carry water south to the Bethany Reservoir and ultimately to Southern California.

Other Bay-Delta news:

• Attorneys Roger Moore and Thomas Keeling: News release: California Supreme Court denies review of major appellate decision rejecting DWR’s attempt to validate bond financing for Delta tunnel project
• Daily Kos: Blog: California Supreme Court denies review of major appellate decision rejecting DWR’s attempt to validate bond financing for Delta Tunnel
• UC Santa Cruz: News release: Researchers to measure atmospheric benefits of restored San Francisco Bay wetland