The first water agency to weigh in on the $17 billion water tunnel project proposed for California's Bay Delta delivered a potentially fatal blow to the project.
Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow report: "A large agricultural district Tuesday dealt a potentially fatal blow to Gov. Jerry Brown’s Delta tunnels project, voting overwhelmingly not to help pay for the $17 billion plan to remake the fragile estuary that serves as the hub of California’s water delivery network."
"Westlands Water District’s board of directors, following more than an hour of debate over the tunnels’ costs, voted 7-1 against participating in the project, known officially as California WaterFix," add Kasler and Sabalow.
The article describes the decision by Westlands as a "huge blow." The district would have funded a $3 billion share of the project. Ryan Sabalow also took to Twitter to share the opinion of one of Southern California's most powerful water executives, Metropolitan Water District General manager Jeff Kightlinger.
Metropolitan GM Kightlinger to me: "Absent Westlands, you don't have a (tunnels) project."
— Ryan Sabalow (@RyanSabalow) September 19, 2017
The article includes a lot more detail about the thinking behind the Westlands decision, as well as the political context the decision will affect.
This isn't the first bad news for the California WaterFix project to emerge in September. Earlier this month, the Associated press reported that an audit had revealed improper spending on the project by the federal government.
Read the full story: Farming district says it won’t pay for Delta tunnels in a vote that could kill the project
$84 Million in Federal Funds Improperly Spent on California's Delta Tunnels
A federal audit has revealed a failure to disclose the true costs of planning for the Delta tunnel projects.
High-Speed Rail Not the Only Massive Public Works Project on the Chopping Block
California Governor Gavin Newsom wants to reduce the size of the $17 billion WaterFix project that plans for two tunnels under the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta.
The History of Federal Infrastructure Funding: As Determined by the Founding Fathers
The ability of the federal government to fund, and define, infrastructure, owes itself to a history of state and federal leadership at the dawn of the nation's existence.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority