Delta Tunnel – California Globe

Ringside: Politics and the Cost for Water Infrastructure

July 3, 2025 2:55 amJuly 3, 2025 2:56 am

When it comes to building water supply infrastructure, even if regulations are streamlined and litigation is contained, there are massive costs. Quantifying these variables is something we have focused on a great deal, most recently “The Economics of the Delta...

Ringside: The Economics of the Delta Tunnel

June 13, 2025 6:00 amJune 13, 2025 6:54 am

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...

Ringside: Desalination at Scale is Cost Competitive

March 13, 2025 3:30 amMarch 13, 2025 3:31 am

On May 22, 2022, the California Coastal Commission voted unanimously to deny final approval for a desalination plant in Huntington Beach. It would have produced 56,000 acre feet of fresh water per year, and would have been privately financed. To...

Ringside: How Much Water Will $30 Billion Buy?

April 10, 2024 2:20 pmApril 10, 2024 2:20 pm

So far this year I had the privilege of attending two water oriented events. The first, in February, was at the annual CalDesal conference in Sacramento. The second, in March, was at the Kern County Water Summit in Bakersfield. I...

California Press Releases, An April Fool’s Paradise

April 2, 2024 6:38 am

Each year on April 1st, also known as April Fools Day, I try to write a piece of satire to showcase some of the absurdities encountered in agricultural irrigation in California. I generally start the piece early in the year...

Ringside: Wade Crowfoot on Desalination, and the Opportunity Cost of the Delta Tunnel

February 15, 2024 7:31 amFebruary 15, 2024 7:31 am

Last week in Sacramento at Cal Desal’s annual conference, one of the highlights was an appearance by Wade Crowfoot, California’s Natural Resources Secretary. In his remarks, and in answer to questions from the audience, Crowfoot sought to create the impression the...

Ringside: Comparing the Delta Tunnel versus Desalination

February 1, 2024 6:57 amFebruary 2, 2024 6:27 am

Debates over the efficacy of water projects often focus on the monthly cost to end users. For example, in May 2022, a few days before the California Coastal Commission voted unanimously to deny the final permit to build a desalination plant in...