September Delta Conveyance Update

Throughout September, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) continued to prepare for the environmental review of a single tunnel solution to modernize State Water Project infrastructure. The department anticipates that the formal environmental review process will begin with the Notice of Preparation (NOP) under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) later this year. While moving toward the NOP release, DWR continues to work on the foundational components – including data collection to support preliminary review and consultant selection – of environmental compliance that are not project specific.

September activities:

 

• DWR continued the public process of negotiating proposed amendments to the SWP water supply contracts for cost allocation of a potential Delta Conveyance facility. Information and background on this process may be found here.

   

• DWR coordinated with the Delta Conveyance Design and Construction Authority (DCA) on its Stakeholder Engagement Committee.

   

  • The DCA board approved the committee on September 19, 2019. Their board agenda packet may be found here.

     

  • The application process closes on October 11, 2019 at 5:00 p.m.The application may be found here and a background Q&A may be found here.

   

  • Hard copies of the application and a flier were posted in numerous locations throughout the Delta, including libraries and post offices.

   

• DWR provided updates, made presentations, or participated in briefings with numerous in-Delta organizations in coordination with the DCA.

   

  • Additionally, the DCA is in the process of setting up meeting with transportation departments and other agencies within the Delta to solicit input related to certain baseline assumptions (e.g. traffic loads and conditions) and their priorities related to transportation planning as the CEQA evaluation gets started.

   

• DWR reorganized its Delta Conveyance webpage to include dropdown menus for Correspondence and Documents, Email notifications, and Informational Materials. To receive all email notifications, sign up here.

   

• DWR held a Tribal Informational Meeting on September 11, 2019 to provide Tribal Government Leadership with an update on the status of Delta Conveyance.

   

• DWR began environmental review under CEQA to analyze potential effects of planned future soil sampling work.This included sending informational letters to tribes in compliance with AB 52 and similar letters to historical preservation organizations to gain their input into the environmental review.

   

• DWR issued Requests for Qualifications for consultant assistance with various aspects of the planned environmental review for Delta Conveyance. That selection process is ongoing.

   

• The DCA held its regular Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, September 19, 2019. The agenda packet may be found here.

   

• The Delta Conveyance Finance Authority held its regular Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, September 19, 2019. The agenda packet may be found here.