In California, access to clean water is not only a growing concern—it is a crisis, especially for communities of color. This lack of access to safe, reliable drinking water is more than a matter of infrastructure; it’s a profound environmental injustice that continues to erode the health and livelihoods of millions of residents and California families. With our changing climate and extreme weather patterns growing worse by the year, we must take decisive action to protect water security for all Californians.
One solution to shore up California’s water supply and address inequitable access to clean water is the Delta Conveyance Project, which would secure water for millions across the state.
As California’s climate continues to warm and droughts become more frequent, this problem is only going to get worse, with many communities being denied access to the clean water they need.
The state’s aging water infrastructure is ill-equipped to meet current demands, especially in times of crisis, such as the multi-year droughts that are now regular occurrences. The Delta Conveyance Project (DCP) offers a potential solution to these issues by modernizing the water delivery system, ensuring that water can be moved efficiently from the Sierra Nevada Mountains to two-thirds of the state, including all of Southern California.
The DCP would provide critical upgrades to the State Water Project, which is responsible for supplying water to over 27 million people and 750,000 acres of farmland. By constructing a safe conveyance system beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the project would protect this vital water supply from the effects of sea-level rise, earthquakes, and aging levees. Without such infrastructure improvements, the risks of water shortages, contamination, and infrastructure failure are unavoidable.
It’s not a matter of “if” our water system will fail us, it’s a matter of “when” and how much it will negatively impact our daily lives and California’s economy.
One of the most important considerations for any proposed project is affordability – what will this mean for our water bills? An analysis conducted by a University of California economist found that water supplied through the State Water Project will continue to be the most affordable option, especially compared to things like ocean desalinization or wastewater recycling. These other sources, while important, also cannot replace the volume of water that the DCP would convey. It will take all of these resources together to ensure we maintain a reliable water supply into the future.
For communities of color, particularly those in areas with poor water quality like the Central Valley and Southern California, there is no time to waste. The Delta Conveyance Project could mean the difference between continued reliance on contaminated groundwater and access to a clean, reliable supply.
Many water agencies, including the Metropolitan Water District, are set to vote on moving this project forward in the coming months. We strongly encourage them to support the Delta Conveyance Project.
With the right investments, California can begin to correct the deeply entrenched inequities in its water system and provide clean, safe water for all its residents, regardless of race or income.
Water is a fundamental human right, and the time to act is now. For the sake of the millions of Californians who wake up every day without access to something so basic as clean water, we must make the Delta Conveyance Project a reality and ensure it serves those who need it most.
By Rev. Jonathan Moseley is the Western Region director of the National Action Network.
Reverend Jonathan Moseley, Director of the National Action Network, Western Region
