To the editor: The governor's message on the projected cost of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta Tunnel is basically this: Believe me, this $20.1 billion project is a big deal. (“Newsom Administration Reveals New $20 Billion Cost Estimate for Delta Water Tunnel,” May 16)
If Californians distrust this claim, they should.
This rising price is already enormous and still does not cover all costs. What proponents of the massive tunnel don't mention are the enormous environmental costs of diverting billions of gallons of water from the Sacramento River. A true cost-benefit analysis would take into account threats to endangered fish and harm to communities that depend on a functioning delta.
Californians should also be wary of any claims that the tunnel is a climate solution. Putting more pressure on an ecosystem that is already suffering from climate change doesn't seem like a great solution. It sounds like a lose-lose proposition, both for utility ratepayers and the environment.
Frances Tinney, Oakland
The author is an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, one of several environmental groups that sued the state over the delta tunnel.
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To the editor: If there is anyone who believes in the estimate of 20 billion dollars to build the delta water tunnel, I suggest you take advantage of the 33 billion dollars; no, of the 50,000 million dollars; no, 80 billion dollars; no, 100 billion dollars; no, 128 billion dollars: bullet train.
You better do it soon, before the next raise.
Mike Liewald, Los Alamitos
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To the editor: We already have the beginning of a surface aqueduct that could surround the delta and perhaps with pipes in some places.
What would be the cost to complete that proposal? How much faster could it be built? And how vulnerable would it be to earthquakes? Even if it were damaged by an earthquake, repairing a surface asset would be faster than repairing a tunnel under the delta.
This is information that we must compare with the cost of the tunnel to be able to make a decision.
Douglas M. Chapman, Santa Ana
