Stockton City Council unanimously voted this week to oppose the proposed Delta Conveyance Project, a massive tunnel that would divert water to Southern California from the Sacramento River before it reaches the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

The council passed a resolution at its meeting Tuesday officially opposing the project, which Gov. Gavin Newsom has tried to fast-track multiple times only to be blocked by state legislators. City staff highlighted in agenda documents multiple concerns with the proposed tunnel, saying the $20.1 billion project would fail to benefit local residents.

“The proposed Delta Tunnel would degrade water quality relied upon by Stockton residents, agriculture, and industry,” the city says in the resolution. 

“Independent scientific reviews, community stakeholders, and regional agencies” also warn of threats to wildlife, increased salinity in the Delta, harmful algal blooms and economic burdens on disadvantaged communities if the state goes through with the project.

City ratepayers could face higher water bills from needed infrastructure upgrades, the city says. Project costs may also come from state bonds, affecting taxes or fees.

An independent analysis by ECOnorthwest, an independent economic consulting firm,

estimates for how much it will cost to complete the tunnel project could reach far above the state’s figures of $18.9 billion, with a final price tag ranging from $60 billion to $100 billion.

The council’s resolution also supports other proposed alternatives to the tunnel, including conservation, levee investments, ecosystem restoration and allowing water to naturally flow south through the Delta. 

The state’s Department of Water Resources has said the tunnel would modernize the state’s water storage and delivery system, delivering water from Northern California to Southern California and boosting reliability amid climate change. A state analysis also claims benefits exceed costs by more than double, averting water shortages for Southern California residents.

Earlier this month, California lawmakers once again punted on Newsom’s plan to fast-track the tunnel project. 

“It’s going to be incredibly disruptive to my communities,” state Sen. Jerry McNerney, D-Stockton, told CalMatters of those backing the governor’s plan to replumb the Delta. “They made a good fight, but we just were too unified for them to have any progress.”