Stop the Delta Tunnel at Valley Water

Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water) is voting on Tuesday, January 14 at 1:00pm on whether to fund the next phase of planning of the destructive Delta Tunnel project.

The Board of Directors will consider whether to spend up to $9.69 million just to fund the next phase of tunnel planning. Instead, this money could be more effectively invested in practical, local, sustainable, and resilient solutions that would bring immediate benefits to the community.

The Delta Tunnel will reduce water flows and devastate the already-fragile San Francisco Bay Delta ecosystem. The tunnel will hurt salmon and other fish, bird and wildlife populations, and reduce the food source to whales and other marine mammals in the Pacific Ocean. It will devastate the Stockton area’s air quality and already depressed local economy. It will also hurt the cultural livelihood of Indigenous communities in Northern California.

This project has been rejected by Californians for 90 years now, and every time it comes before a vote by the people, it fails.

Send your message now to Valley Water and RSVP to attend the Board meeting on Tuesday, January 14 at 1:00pm to urge them to vote NO on Item 3.5, funding the next phase of the Delta tunnel.

Here are talking points to make it easier. Please remember to put the talking points in your own words to not be repetitive of other public comments.

Instructions to Call in:

If you plan to address the Board of Directors during public participation or on any agenda items:

Click here to join by zoom and use the raise hand feature during public comment for Agenda Item 3.5. The board clerk will call your name to make your comment.
If you are joining by phone, dial 1 (669) 900-9128 and enter code 84454515597# and follow the prompt to make your comment during Agenda Item 3.5.

Callers will be limited to three minutes per comment but allotted time per speaker may be reduced. Make your comments during Agenda Item 3.5. You can find the full agenda here.

Join our Facebook group, Stop the Delta Tunnel, to stay up-to-date on the progress against the tunnel.

If you have questions, please contact Molly Culton, Chapter Organizing Manager, at Molly.Culton@sierraclub.org

Thank you for supporting water sustainability in California!

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Please Vote NO on Delta Tunnel Funding

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Dear Chair Estremera and the Board of Directors, I am writing to urge Valley Water not to allocate any additional funds to the proposed Delta Conveyance Project and vote no on Agenda Item 3.5. The Delta tunnel project is a proposal to construct a single underground tunnel to divert millions of acre-feet of freshwater that would otherwise flow naturally through the Bay-Delta, diverting up to 6,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) from the Sacramento River without preserving sufficient flows for salmon species and Delta smelt. For years, the Bay-Delta ecosystem has been severely depleted of its essential freshwater flows, causing the destruction of natural habitat for endemic species and worsening the livelihood of residents in Delta communities. This project will absolutely hasten the decline of the Delta. Ratepayers will face increased water bills and property taxes, with no assurance of a sustainable water supply if Valley Water continues to spend millions of dollars - nearly $650 million by the final construction vote - on this project! Remember that the board is ultimately accountable to their ratepayers who do not want their bills to rise amid an era of constant inflation and an affordability crisis. The Delta tunnel project is an expensive and environmentally harmful project - failing to ensure new water resources in a time of climate change. Valley Water must prioritize limited public funds for projects that will deliver tangible improvements in water security and the overall health of the Delta. I urge you to make a responsible and informed decision by rejecting this funding, and voting NO on Agenda Item 3.5. Sincerely,

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