Study: Delta Tunnel Plan Would Require Federal Funding

California Governor Jerry Brown's plan to build two tunnels to carry water across the state is only economically feasible if the federal government pays for nearly a third of it, according to a previously unreleased economic analysis.

Last year, California commissioned David Sundig, a UC Berkeley economist, to provide an economic analysis of Governor Brown’s giant twin tunnel plan.

It wasn’t released until Restore the Delta, a group opposed to the project, made a Public Records Act request.

The analysis shows the federal government would need to pay for nearly a third of the $16 billion project in order to make it feasible. The Brown administration has stated publicly that local water districts would pay the full cost.

Nancy Vogel, with the California Department of Natural Resources, says the economic analysis is outdated and incomplete. She says the state has not concluded that the tunnel plan requires federal funding to be feasible.