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Commission backs recommendation for mayor to seek state, federal funding after presentation on California Aqueduct subsidence
Summary
Staff told the Water Commission that subsidence has already reduced roughly 44% of capacity in affected reaches of the California Aqueduct and that DWR estimates capacity loss could reach 87% in 10 years without repairs; commissioners voted to recommend the mayor seek state and federal funding for repairs estimated at about $3.9 billion over 10 years.
Staff presented background and implications of subsidence affecting the California Aqueduct and the State Water Project, emphasizing the coastal branch that delivers water to Santa Barbara County.
An unnamed staff presenter explained that the aqueduct serves roughly 27 million people statewide and described how subsidence — primarily caused by decades of groundwater pumping in the Central Valley — compresses soils, lowers canal profiles and creates choke points that reduce flow capacity and operational flexibility.
“Already, as a result of subsidence, about 44% of aqueduct capacity has been lost,” the presenter said, and staff cited an estimate from…
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