Stewardship Council affirms planned geotechnical activities are not a covered action
Press release from the State Water Contractors
Today, the Delta Stewardship Council (DSC) confirmed they do not have jurisdiction over proposed geotechnical activities for the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP), a ruling that will allow vital data collection work to proceed. The work, to be conducted by the Department of Water Resources (DWR), will help inform future project decisions and was determined to fall outside of a “Covered Action” under the Delta Reform Act. All appeals against the proposed geotechnical investigations were dismissed.
Statement from Jennifer Pierre, General Manager of the State Water Contractors:
“The State Water Contractors applaud the Delta Stewardship Council’s decision to dismiss attempts to delay the Department of Water Resources from performing geotechnical activities critical to informing the engineering and design of the Delta Conveyance Project.
We appreciate the hard work Delta Stewardship Council members and staff have undertaken throughout the hearing process and agree with their decision that, while the geotechnical activities are an important part of informing future decisions about the Delta Conveyance Project, they do not represent implementation and are, therefore, not under the purview of the Delta Stewardship Council.
As the State Water Contractors previously stated, these appeals were clear attempts to delay progress on one of California’s most critical water infrastructure projects — putting California’s future water security at risk and making climate adaptation more expensive.
The State Water Project is currently utilizing technology and infrastructure that is nearly 70 years old. Modernization projects like the Delta Conveyance Project are imperative to ensuring sustainable and reliable access to the water that powers California’s homes, farms and businesses. We look forward to continuing to work with the state to move this critical project forward and secure California’s water future.”
The State Water Contractors is a statewide, non-profit association of 27 public agencies from Northern, Central and Southern California that purchase water under contract from the California State Water Project. Collectively the State Water Contractors deliver water to more than 27 million residents throughout the state and more than 750,000 acres of agricultural land. For more information on the State Water Contractors, please visit www.swc.org.
