Save the California Delta Alliance (STCDA)

The Single Tunnel “Notice of Preparation” (NOP) comment period ends this week, Friday April 17. Please send in your comments about why any tunnel is a bad plan. The Department of Water Resources (DWR) is considering two single tunnel routes: The “Central Corridor” (same as the WaterFix Through-Delta Alignment) and a new “Eastern Corridor,” slightly east, but still on Delta islands.

For Discovery Bay, we have a new concern. At the last meeting of the Stakeholder Engagement Committee (SEC), the Delta Conveyance Design and Construction Authority (DCA) showed more details about their current thoughts for the single tunnel. A new shaft next to Discovery Bay and tunnel now nearly going under Discovery Bay – way too close for comfort.

Right when we think DCA has listened to concerns expressed about noise and trying to minimize the impact on citizens, we see a decision to plop a maintenance shaft in Discovery Bay, less than a half mile from the Discovery Bay waterfront homes! From a personal standpoint, I will see and hear that shaft from my back deck and will hear the pounding all night for years. Plus the tunnel now goes dangerously close to the south east golf club homes.

[Side-note: That shaft has never been on the plans before. It makes me wonder, cynically, if the strong turn-out of Discovery Bay citizens over the years protesting the tunnels gave someone the idea to get back at the community. I hope not, that isn’t a pleasant thought.]

STCDA’s noise expert witness at the tunnel hearings in 2018 testified how noise pollution is more noticeable in rural areas and more amplified around water. This shaft wasn’t studied, but new concerns exist now about how much the many years of construction will impact the citizens of Discovery Bay and their home values.

In addition, the tunnel route now comes dangerously close to Discovery Bay homes. A tunneling expert’s witness testimony during the WaterFix hearings raised many issues that could occur tunneling through soft, alluvial soil. The new plan shown in the “Byron Tract Maintenance Shaft” illustration shows the tunnel route dangerously close to Discovery Bay homes.

Prior plans didn’t have a shaft anywhere near Discovery Bay and the tunnel route wasn’t this close. The WaterFix plan had the tunnel route going directly south from Bacon Island with a shaft on Victoria Island before the tunnel angled over to the Southern Forebay. Then the tunnel wouldn’t go under a corner of Discovery Bay, potentially impacting homes there due to tunneling through soft soils.

Where to send comments is provided below. As part of your comments, please add that DWR needs to move or remove this Discovery Bay shaft and alter the tunnel route away from Discovery Bay homes.

Concerns include:

• New impacts to Discovery Bay from the new, closer shaft.
• Central Corridor impacts on boating & recreation and resulting economic loss to boating communities, marinas, and boating-based mom & pop businesses due to noise and construction through the middle of the favorite boating waterways and anchorages.
• Impacts on Delta communities and businesses from the gridlock that will occur on Highway 4 due to construction traffic.
• Impacts on Delta farmers.
• Horrible impacts on the historic legacy communities in the north where they are still planning on locating the intakes practically on top of those communities.
• Muck piles left on Delta islands.
• Long term issues with removing water north of the Delta instead of allowing it to flow through the Delta.

Single Tunnel NOP Comment Period ends April 17

Email: DeltaConveyanceScoping@water.ca.gov (by 5:00 p.m. on 4/17/20)
Mail: Department of Water Resources, Attn: Renee Rodriguez, P.O. Box 942836, Sacramento, CA 94236 (postmarked by 4/17/20)
Fillable online form: View form (by 5:00 p.m. on 4/17/20)
For general questions about the Delta Conveyance Project, please email DeltaConveyance@water.ca.gov.

The NOP can be viewed online here.