Tag: Delta tunnel

Delta Independent Science Board requests extension on Delta tunnel Draft EIR comments

~ Deirdre Des Jardins ~ 1 Comment

On September 2, 2022, Lisa Wainger, the new Chair of the Delta Independent Science Board, sent a letter to the Department of Water Resources Director, Karla Nemeth, asking for a 30 day extension of time to comment on the Delta Conveyance Project Draft EIR. The DISB Chair's letter gave the following reasons for asking for … Continue reading Delta Independent Science Board requests extension on Delta tunnel Draft EIR comments

Delta tunnel — Inconvenient truths about sea level rise and salinity intrusion

Polar ice sheet melting
~ Deirdre Des Jardins ~ 2 Comments

The Delta tunnel Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) has a new Sea Level Rise Study in Technical Appendix 5A-F. The study was done with Bay-Delta SCHISM, a 3-D hydrodynamic model of the San Francisco Bay and Delta. The new SCHISM study has limitations, in that it assumes that Delta levees are raised to keep up … Continue reading Delta tunnel — Inconvenient truths about sea level rise and salinity intrusion

Delta tunnel EIR shows predictable megaproject management biases

~ Deirdre Des Jardins ~ 1 Comment

Professor Brent Flyvbjerg is an internationally renowned expert in megaprojects. His research has shown how megaprojects are systematically subject to "survival of the unfittest." Flyvbjerg’s 2021 paper, Top Ten Behavioral Biases in Project Management: An Overview, describes several behavioral biases which are relevant to the Delta tunnel project. They include strategic misrepresentation, optimism bias, planning … Continue reading Delta tunnel EIR shows predictable megaproject management biases

Delta ISB review of Delta tunnel project proceeding under huge time pressure

~ Deirdre Des Jardins ~ 1 Comment

On June 8, 2022, DWR’s Director, Karla Nemeth, made a presentation on the Delta tunnel project to the Delta Independent Science Board (Delta ISB), with several of the scientists who had worked on the project. She said that she supported the Delta ISB’s review of the project. But unlike the twin tunnels project, the Department … Continue reading Delta ISB review of Delta tunnel project proceeding under huge time pressure

Consideration of climate change in the Delta tunnel project

~ Deirdre Des Jardins ~ 1 Comment

The Department of Water Resources will be holding a webinar on consideration of climate change for the Delta tunnel project on August 25, 2021.  The following discussion is from my testimony in 2016 for Part 1A of the WaterFix Water Right Change Petition hearing. It explains some key problems with the consideration of shifts in … Continue reading Consideration of climate change in the Delta tunnel project

Thoughts on DWR’s Delta Conveyance Webinar on Fisheries

~ Deirdre Des Jardins ~ 1 Comment

The single tunnel project was supposed to be redesigned to limit impacts on Delta legacy communities and fish.  But many of the bad design decisions from the previous project have been kept. The most glaring examples are the enormous, 3,000 cfs intakes, which were carried over from the twin tunnels project. Dave Vogel wrote about … Continue reading Thoughts on DWR’s Delta Conveyance Webinar on Fisheries

On the Delta Independent Science Board and Inconvenient Truths

~ Deirdre Des Jardins ~ 1 Comment

Remarks by Deirdre Des Jardins at the April 16, 2021 Delta Independent Science Board meeting. One of the most valuable contributions of the Delta Independent Science Board is when they speak inconvenient truths. One example of this is the BDCP / WaterFix project, which is a “hard” adaptation to climate change.  The locations for the … Continue reading On the Delta Independent Science Board and Inconvenient Truths

Delta Tunnel: Geologist takes leadership of engineering and design

~ Deirdre Des Jardins ~ Leave a comment

In March 2021, Kathryn Mallon resigned as Executive Director of the Delta Conveyance Design and Construction Authority (DCA.) The resignation came after labor negotiations with Metropolitan Water District's representatives on the DCA Board. The official story is that Mallon decided to seek other opportunities after finishing the initial engineering and design work for the project. … Continue reading Delta Tunnel: Geologist takes leadership of engineering and design

Delta Tunnel: DCA’s new bylaws allow MWD staff person to be Executive Director

~ Deirdre Des Jardins ~ Leave a comment

On February 18, 2021 the Delta Conveyance Design and Construction Authority (“DCA”) adopted new bylaws which allow the Executive Director to be a "member entity" staff person. On March 9, 2021, the DCA met in closed session to consider employment of the current Executive Director, Kathryn Mallon. Mallon is working under a 5 year contract … Continue reading Delta Tunnel: DCA’s new bylaws allow MWD staff person to be Executive Director

Delta Tunnel: MWD executives in labor negotiations with DCA Executive Director

~ Deirdre Des Jardins ~ Leave a comment

The new Board of Directors for the Delta Conveyance Design and Construction Authority ("DCA") has called a special meeting for Tuesday, March 9th from 3-5 pm.  The closed session agenda lists the following items with regard to the DCA's Executive Director, Kathryn Mallon: (a) Public Employee Performance Evaluation (b) Public Employment (c) Conference with Labor … Continue reading Delta Tunnel: MWD executives in labor negotiations with DCA Executive Director