State water officials today are sending letters to about 1,000 property owners in the Delta – a heads up that surveyors may need to access private land to begin planning a canal to ferry fresh water to Southern California.
Surveys won't begin until next year, but the letters confirm the seriousness of efforts to lay a controversial canal around the Delta.
"For the most part, this will be a wake-up call for a lot of people," said Mark Wilson of Clarksburg, a member of the Delta Protection Commission who represents farmers. "I don't think they realize the seriousness of this situation right now."
State voters rejected what became known as the peripheral canal in 1982.
It is back on the table as a proposed solution to environmental problems in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and to meet water demands in the Bay Area and Southern California.
The Delta provides drinking water to about 25 million Californians.
But massive state and federal diversion pumps near Tracy kill millions of fish and upset aquatic habitat by reversing river flows in the 740,000-acre Delta.
A canal skirting the Delta could avoid those problems by sending a portion of the Sacramento River directly to the pumps.
A canal, though, would come with its own challenges: Unless designed properly, it could also shift the pumps' environmental damages north. And a canal will cut through private property.
Planners have identified four preliminary routes on the east and west edges of the Delta.
They are also considering a "through-Delta" canal down the middle of the estuary strung together by modifying existing levees.
A preliminary study by water officials describes a canal between 41 and 52 miles long, costing between $4.2 billion and $17.2 billion. It would require massive excavation and numerous pumps, tunnels and bridges.
The planned land surveys are required as part of an environmental impact report ordered earlier this year by Gov. Arnold Schwar-zenegger.
He called for detailed studies even though a canal is not yet an official recommendation, much less paid for.
Department of Water Resources officials need property access to survey routes and catalog environmental challenges.
"We want to start talking to people about how can we accomplish that in a way that meets their needs and meets our needs," said DWR Deputy Director Jerry Johns. "We're just opening the dialogue with folks."
Not all property owners who get letters will be asked to provide access, because DWR is still refining route options.
Before sending letters, California Resources Secretary Mike Chrisman met with county supervisors in the region last week, and DWR met with California Farm Bureau representatives in the Delta.
Call The Bee's Matt Weiser, (916) 321-1264.
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