Sending more Delta water south will burden all of us (and our children)

Re “If Delta ‘tunnels’ built, we’re the losers” (Page 4A, April 10): Thank you, Merced Sun-Star editorial board, for taking a principled stand against the twin tunnel proposal of Gov. Jerry Brown. As you pointed out, the fresh water diverted from the Sacramento River that normally flows to the San Joaquin Delta and estuary would be channeled instead to southern Central Valley mega-farms and the customers of Metropolitan Water District in Southern California.

Water that serves farmers, recreation and other uses from the the Merced, Tuolumne and Stanislaus rivers would be diverted to the Delta to make up for water pumped further south. Assemblyman Adam Gray has attacked the Federal Endangered Species Act aspect of water diversions from our rivers in the past, but not addressed the Delta tunnels issue directly, that I am aware of.

Besides the environmental and fishing industry concerns of the Delta, which should not be ignored, is the huge financial cost to taxpayers. Water users and our descendants – whether in Southern California, the Bay Area, Northern California, or the Central Valley – should not be saddled with exorbitant costs to satisfy construction, oil, developers or salt-laden land in Westlands Water District, nor to satisfy Gov. Brown’s legacy.

This story was originally published April 12, 2018 at 5:58 PM with the headline "Sending more Delta water south will burden all of us (and our children)."