Amend an agreement between The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and Department of Water Resources for Metropolitan’s portion of funding for pr

Amend an agreement between The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and Department of Water Resources for Metropolitan’s portion of funding for pr

The California Department of Water Resources (DWR), acting as the Lead Agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), certified an Environmental Impact Report (Final EIR), adopted a Findings of Fact, a Statement of Overriding Considerations, and a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, and filed a Notice of Determination on December 21, 2023, for the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP). The DCP involves the construction, operation, and maintenance of new State Water Project (SWP) water diversion and conveyance facilities in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta that would be operated in coordination with existing SWP facilities. DWR is pursuing the DCP to improve the reliability and operational flexibility of the SWP due to historical and future risks from climate change, sea level rise, levee failure, and regulatory codes. The project includes efforts to identify geotechnical, hydrogeologic, agronomic, and other field conditions that will guide appropriate construction methods and monitoring programs for final engineering design and construction data collection and field work investigations, including ground-disturbing geotechnical work, water quality and hydrogeologic investigations, agronomic testing, the installation of monitoring equipment, construction test projects, preconstruction design work, and engineering work in 2026 and 2027 (“Preconstruction Work”). Major features of the DCP include two new intake facilities along the Sacramento River near the community of Hood, a new 45-mile-long concrete-lined tunnel and associated tunnels to convey flow from the intakes to a new pumping plant/surge basin near the existing SWP Clifton Court Forebay. From there, flows from the new pumping plant/surge basin would be lifted into the new Bethany Reservoir. Other new ancillary facilities include access roads, concrete batch plants, fuel stations, and power transmission/distribution lines. The total maximum diversion capacity would be 6,000 cubic feet per second. A full description of the DCP, also known as Alternative 5, is provided in Chapter 3 of the Final EIR. Under the California Water Code, DWR is responsible for the construction, maintenance and operations of the SWP, of which DCP is a part, and for securing funding for SWP-related costs. The SWP share of DCP costs would be paid by participating SWP Contractors in accordance with their long-term water supply contracts with DWR. Metropolitan is the largest SWP contractor. In December 2020, Metropolitan’s Board of Directors authorized execution of a funding agreement with DWR for Metropolitan’s share of the DCP planning and preconstruction costs, which Metropolitan and DWR subsequently executed, and which funding will last through 2025. Significant planning and preconstruction activities are complete, including certification of the Final EIR, approval of the DCP, and submission of all major permit applications. Post 2025, DWR must complete additional planning and Preconstruction Work activities in 2026-2027 to advance the DCP, which will keep the project on schedule and inform a revised cost estimate. On December 10, 2024, Metropolitan’s Board of Directors considered the Final EIR for the DCP, adopted DWR’s CEQA findings, adopted a Statement of Overriding Considerations for the Preconstruction Work, and authorized the general manager to amend the existing agreement with DWR to fund Metropolitan’s portion of 2026-2027 DCP Preconstruction Work. Metropolitan’s Board of Directors did not approve the DCP, as reflected in the Statement of Overriding Considerations it adopted, which is limited to the Preconstruction Work funding only. The December 10, 2024, Board Letter for Item 8-4 with more details on Metropolitan’s Board action is available for public review at www.mwdh2o.com.

Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, Yolo

San Francisco Bay Area, Statewide

Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, Yolo