Feb. 26, 2013
Release immediate
BDCP PROVIDES 137,000 JOBS TO CALIFORNIA ECONOMY; IMPROVES WATER DELIVERIES
As many as 137,000 new jobs will result from habitat restoration and the construction of twin tunnels as part of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, according to a study released today by the California Natural Resources Agency.
“The state’s water supply system is in dire need of an upgrade to continue to serve farms, families and businesses,” said California Farm Water Coalition Executive Director Mike Wade. “Adding 137,000 new jobs is an additional benefit that our economy sorely needs.
“Important factors with this project are the co-equal goals established by the Legislature, including a reliable water supply and improved ecosystem in the Delta. Water deliveries in recent years have been a game of roulette with farmers not knowing how much water they would receive before the growing season began.”
The just released study is an update to an earlier job-creation study by the Department of Water Resources that looked at conveyance proposals for 3,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) and 15,000 cfs. That study indicated that job creation would be 70,000 and 130,000 respectively. The capacity of the twin tunnels to move water is 9,000 cfs.
Most of the jobs identified in the new study (http://baydeltaconservationplan.com/Home.aspx) would be 137,000 full-time equivalent jobs in construction, operations and maintenance, and land acquisition for both conveyance and habitat restoration projects. Job creation related to habitat restoration would result in 15,000 full-time equivalent jobs during the first 10 years of activity.
“More jobs for California’s economy is good news,” said Wade. “The potential loss of some farm jobs as a result of habitat restoration in the Delta is unfortunate but a net job increase for the Delta region will result, according to the study.
“Our state cannot afford to move into the future without a water supply that is reliable to farmers and 25 million Californians,” continued Wade. “Part of the answer for California’s future demanded by the Legislature was to eliminate the uncertainty of water supply and to restore the Delta ecosystem for habitat and fish.
“The benefits to the entire state mean that BDCP is the solution for California’s water supply and environmental future.”
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