SWP Facilities: Why So Long and Costly?

Before the 1960s, the environment was not considered in the planning, design, or expense of constructing a dam, reservoir, canal, pipeline, pumping or power plant. But as laws were passed that regulated how the environment and its residents must be treated, their impacts quickly had to be calculated into the project.

The time required to do environmental impact reports and their long reviews generally delays the start of construction adding inflation to the equation, plus the added staff time required for research and report reviews and revisions.

Consultants, DWR environmental specialists, and State and federal fish and wildlife experts spent hours determining what kinds of listed species (under federal or State endangered species acts) may be located within the project area. Visits must be timed according to when the species may inhabit the area. When needed listed species must be relocated and kept out of the project site. For example, for the Coastal Branch construction, 80 leopard lizards were caught and relocated and a 9-mile fence was built to keep others from entering the area.

Environmental inspections are conducted over an area much larger than planned for the project. This extra area will allow for adjustment of the project's alignment if necessary, without doing additional studies.

Experts must coordinated their efforts with regulatory agencies, water organizations, and interested public groups or individuals to complete and review EIRs and decide what mitigation measures must be taken. Environmental training of the construction crews must be completed before they begin their work.

When the project begins, there must be environmental monitors on site for consultation. They are also responsible for making certain the mitigation measures are implemented. Such measures can include timed construction to avoid impacts on listed species, speed limits on site, diversion and flow restrictions to protect fishery, change of project alignment to avoid significant cultural areas, capture and relocation of listed species, real-time monitoring of fish migrations, and collection and propagation of native plants for replanting.