Delta debate continues

California water officials are looking into the possibility of constructing a tunnel to transport water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to water-starved Southern California.

The State Department of Water Resources will weigh the option against another plan to build a canal. A proposal to build a peripheral canal is nothing new. Officials floated the idea back in the early ’80s, but voters rejected it, reported the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Despite facing water rationing designed to protect the imperiled waterway, many people are still firmly opposed to the canal. The agencies that purchase water are hoping that a proposed 35-mile tunnel running under the Delta meets less resistance from the public.

One of the selling points of a tunnel is that it wouldn’t affect properties adjacent to the waterway. Meanwhile, the state continues to study the potential impact of a canal.