January 2009

U.S. Water News Online

SACRAMENTO — A panel of the governor's top advisers says California must move swiftly on a massive construction project to pipe water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

The Delta Vision Committee recommends California begin building a canal to divert water from the Sacramento River as soon as 2011. It is one of the most controversial strategies included in a final report released by the governor's office after more than two years of hearings.

The report mirrors an earlier draft released by the panel last month.

Advocates say a canal would reroute water used by two-thirds of Californians away from the fragile delta, which is susceptible to earthquakes, levee breaks and flooding.

But a canal has long been opposed by Northern Californians weary of a water grab by the south.

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