Funding for the proposed delta tunnel could be slipping

The Metropolitan Water District likely won’t pick up the slack to cover planning costs for the proposed Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta tunnel

That’s a huge shift from MWD’s “all in” support of the previous tunnel project.

And MWD’s pull back could create a ripple of iffyness among other State Water Contractors about how much of their own money they want to invest down the line without the giant southern California water purveyor in its usual position as a financial backstop.

This is just the planning phase for the proposed tunnel, known as the Delta Conveyance Facility.

Planning and environmental review is expected to cost $340 million over the next four years, according to the Department of Water Resources.

Construction could be as much as $16 billion.