The Economics of the Delta Tunnel

By Edward Ring
06/11/2025
One of the most controversial water issues in California is the proposed Delta Conveyance. The 45-mile-long tunnel will have the capacity to move up to 4 million acre feet per year from the Sacramento River safely under the fragile delta ecosystem, delivering water to southbound aqueducts. That’s not bad. But the reservoir storage necessary to allow the...

TAGS: Delta conveyance, water infrastructure solutions

California Holds the Key to Western Water Security

By Edward Ring
05/15/2023
Dams and aqueducts on the Colorado River make civilization possible in the American Southwest. But for the last 20 years, as a prolonged drought has gripped the region, withdrawals from the river have averaged 15 million acre-feet per year, while inflows into Lake Mead and Lake Powell have averaged only 12 million acre feet per year. For the first...

TAGS: California water policy, tiered water rates, water infrastructure solutions, water rationing, water reuse, water storage

Cleaning Bay Source Pollution Will Enable More Delta Diversions

By Edward Ring
04/10/2023
On February 21, the California State Water Resources Control Board waived environmental regulations in order to permit more storage in Central Valley reservoirs. This came a week after Governor Gavin Newsom temporarily suspended environmental laws that prevent reservoir storage if flow through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta falls below 58,000 acre feet per day. A guest opinion piece...

TAGS: California water policy, water infrastructure solutions, water rationing, water reuse, water storage