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Tell Mayor Garcetti to Oppose the Delta Tunnel

On Tuesday, December 8th, The board of the regional water wholesaler, Metropolitan Water District (MWD), is voting on whether to commit ratepayers to decades of higher water bills without new water by investing tens of millions of dollars in planning for the destructive Delta tunnel project.

On October 13,  Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti sent a letter to the MWD Chair Gloria Gray stating that the next general manager (GM) of MWD should “depart from the status quo” and favor local water projects.

He also acknowledged that “[t]he Delta and Colorado River ecosystems are increasingly stressed by drought and unpredictable rainfall patterns.” And that, in light of this, “MWD should consider delaying investments in the Delta until the IRP is complete, a new GM is on board and economic recovery is underway.” 

The Delta tunnel should not be included in Mayor Garcetti’s vision for LA water policy. 

Supporting the tunnel is not a departure from the status quo as some variation of the project has been around for nearly 90 years. 

Moreover, the tunnel is not a local solution and will suck up money and other resources that could be spent investing in and constructing local solutions that will make Los Angeles more water resilient in the years to come. 

And lastly, the IRP--a plan for how MWD will supply water for the next 20 years--will not be complete until April and the new general manager will not start until at least March. A decision for LA to participate in the tunnel funding before then is irresponsible. 

The Los Angeles delegation is the largest voting bloc on the MWD board and can determine the outcome of the vote. They must vote for NO TUNNEL.

Email Mayor Garcetti now and tell him to remove his support for the Delta tunnel.

Want to do more? Click here to email the MWD board and call them to give a public comment on December 8 and tell them to vote NO on the tunnel. Join our Facebook group, Stop the Delta Tunnel, to stay up-to-date on the progress against the tunnel.

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Your Message
The Delta tunnel should not be included in the vision for LA water policy
Dear Mayor Garcetti, I am writing to urge you to direct your delegation to the Board of the Metropolitan Water District to vote for Option #4 on Item 7-4, and oppose the Delta Tunnel. On October 13, your office sent a letter to the MWD Chair Gloria Gray stating that “[t]he Delta and Colorado River ecosystems are increasingly stressed by drought and unpredictable rainfall patterns.” And that, in light of this, “MWD should consider delaying investments in the Delta until the IRP is complete, a new GM is on board and economic recovery is underway.” We appreciate and thank you for your support of the regional recycled water program and your efforts to move to water independence, but the Delta Conveyance project is not a local solution. It will suck up money and other resources that could be spent investing in and constructing local solutions that will make Los Angeles more water resilient in the years to come. The tunnel will not provide a new, reliable water source, particularly as climate change reduces the northern California river flows that the tunnel’s success relies upon. It is expected to cost between $16-40 billion and LA-area residents will have to pay up to 60 percent of the costs through higher water bills and property taxes. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely,
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