SACRAMENTO, California — California environmental officials proposed upholding the state’s approval of the Delta Conveyance Project in a draft decision Monday, rejecting most of the legal challenges brought by opponents while ordering a redo on two environmental issues that could complicate the project’s path forward.
What happened: In a draft ruling released Monday, the Delta Stewardship Council rejected the bulk of 10 appeals challenging the Department of Water Resources’ consistency certification for the long-contested Delta Conveyance Project — a planned 45-mile tunnel to move more water beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta — finding the state had sufficient evidence to comply with most Delta Plan policies.
It was a loss for environmental and tribal groups, including San Francisco Baykeeper, Restore the Delta, Winnemem Wintu and the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, as well as local governments, including the city of Stockton and Sacramento County, that had sought to overturn the decision for its overall impacts on the region’s ecosystem.
But the draft decision did grant two of the appeals: one by San Joaquin County arguing that state did not adequately analyze whether the project could worsen habitat conditions for the invasive golden mussel, and another by the Sacramento Area Sewer District, arguing that it failed to demonstrate that the proposed Twin Cities Complex was sited to avoid or reduce conflicts with Sacramento-area recycled water operations. The council remanded those issues back to the department for further review.
