California Drought Spurs Bonds for 30-Mile Water Tunnels
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California water agencies plan to sell the first $200 million in bonds toward a $25 billion project to bolster supplies for about 25 million people as the worst drought in a century threatens farms and cities.
Proceeds will be used to plan two tunnels, 40 feet wide and 30 miles (48 kilometers) long, to carry Sacramento River water to Southern California, home to about two-thirds of the state’s population. The tubes will replace pumps in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta that risk drawing saltwater from San Francisco Bay, threatening the freshwater supply and ravaging wetlands.