News Release: Final Decision on CCWD’s Participation in Los Vaqueros Reservoir Expansion

For Immediate Release: November 7, 2024
Contact: Jennifer Allen, (925) 688-8041 office, (925) 297-9739 mobile

CONCORD - Last night, the Contra Costa Water District (CCWD) Board of Directors took action to end its participation in the Los Vaqueros Phase 2 Expansion Project. This action follows a September Board discussion during which staff was directed to develop and present an exit plan for the Board's consideration.

Los Vaqueros Reservoir, a drinking water reservoir in Brentwood, was built and expanded by CCWD to provide water quality and water supply benefits for the residents of central and eastern Contra Costa County. For decades, CCWD has worked with local, state and federal partners to evaluate a Phase 2 expansion of the reservoir and related facilities to provide regional benefits for urban, agricultural and environmental interests, all while maintaining the benefits derived from the initial investments by CCWD customers.

While initial Phase 2 studies progressed through the planning and design phases, significant challenges became apparent with costs, benefits, and future operations. Recognizing the complexities of this project, CCWD has worked with partners to focus on unresolved issues and collaborate on potential solutions. At the CCWD's Board meeting in September, these issues were discussed in depth, explaining that the expansion project was facing changed conditions resulting from tighter restrictions on Delta operations, increased costs for construction, decreased benefits for partners, and unresolved differences on agreements regarding design, construction, and usage.

"Contra Costa Water District has spent decades collaborating with agencies and organizations to find cost-effective, implementable solutions to water challenges in California. We have been committed to making Phase 2 expansion of Los Vaqueros Reservoir viable to achieve regional benefits," said Board President, Ernesto A. Avila. "Unfortunately, we had no choice but to confront the disappointing reality that costs have significantly increased and that benefits have noticeably decreased. Moreover, a growing number of governance and policy issues continued to be deferred rather than resolved. Of concern specifically for CCWD were sufficient protections for CCWD's customer prior water quality and supply reliability investments both during construction and project operations; ensuring these protections was a commitment made by the CCWD Board to its customers in 2004. Based on these facts, the CCWD Board unanimously approved a plan to end CCWD's participation in the project."

Avila continued, "This was an especially difficult decision in light of the extensive time and resources expended by CCWD and its partners at the local, state and federal level to get to this point. But we must be realistic and responsible in acknowledging that more time, more resources and more meetings will not change the facts impacting the economics of the project. Now CCWD will work with the Joint Powers Authority Board and other agencies to conclude work on the expansion project and look for other opportunities to find cost-effective solutions to improving our region's water resiliency."