© 2024 KVPR | Valley Public Radio - White Ash Broadcasting, Inc. :: 89.3 Fresno / 89.1 Bakersfield
89.3 Fresno | 89.1 Bakersfield
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Big Decisions Loom On "Twin Tunnels" Delta Water Project

California WaterFix
An illustration showing the proposed path of the twin tunnels beneath the Sacramento San Joaquin River Delta.

It could be California’s biggest water infrastructure project in two generations – a plan to build two massive, 35 mile-long tunnels deep beneath the Sacramento San Joaquin River Delta. Dubbed California WaterFix, it would send water from Northern California to farms and cities in the south, bypassing the fragile delta ecosystem.

After years of study and fierce debate, the plan could be headed for a turning point in the coming months. Two federal agencies recently issued a biological opinion that allows the project to move ahead, and decision on whether a group of water districts is willing to pay for the $17 billion project is expected within 90 days. To learn more about the latest developments we spoke with Alex Breitler, who covers water issues for the Stockton Record. 

Joe Moore is the President and General Manager of KVPR / Valley Public Radio. He has led the station through major programming changes, the launch of KVPR Classical and the COVID-19 pandemic. Under his leadership the station was named California Non-Profit of the Year by Senator Melissa Hurtado (2019), and won a National Edward R. Murrow Award for investigative reporting (2022).