Intertie gets federal green light

Construction on project expected to start by May; 2011 completion seen

By WES SANDER
Capital Press

With a final regulatory hurdle cleared, water managers expect to get California's Intertie project under construction by May, but it will cost nearly 30 percent more than originally estimated.

A federal fast-tracking has kept the Delta-Mendota Canal-California Aqueduct Intertie project on schedule. That means it could be completed by fall 2011.

"These things typically take a longer time frame, but we're focusing a lot of attention and resources on it," said Gwen Knittweis, a supervising engineer with the state Department of Water Resources. "I have a lot of papers on my desk pertaining to this one."

With the Bureau of Reclamation's final environmental approval in late December, the project has cleared its regulatory hurdles. Now water managers are hashing out an agreement that specifies operations and maintenance responsibilities between state and federal agencies.

They hope to finish that in a month, thus readying the project for construction bids, said Reclamation spokeswoman Lynette Wirth.

The long-awaited project will tie the California Aqueduct to the federal Delta-Mendota Canal upstream from San Luis Reservoir.

Six months ago, planners expected the project to cost $27 million. Reclamation now estimates it will cost $34 million, Wirth said.

The plan involves paying for the project through a mix of federal funds and advance payments by water users, who would also reimburse the feds.

The Intertie idea has been tossed around since the early '90s. In 2004, the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority commissioned a study that spurred it forward.

It originated as a means of bypassing sections of the Delta-Mendota Canal where land subsidence has degraded capacity.

It has further come to represent added flexibility in water movement between the State Water Project and federal Central Valley Project. As California's water scarcity persists, that flexibility is considered a necessity.

The Interior Department touts the project as evidence of its commitment to helping solve California's water-supply problems.

"California is in the midst of a serious water crisis that is requiring all hands on deck -- at all levels of government," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a statement. "The Intertie ... is one of several immediate actions we are taking in response to the crisis."