CSPA has requested that a proposed contract extension for ICF Jones & Stokes (ICF) be removed from the State Water Board’s 4 February 2014 consent calendar and rescheduled for a subsequent State Board meeting. ICF is a huge international consulting firm that is analyzing and advising the State Board on the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan update. That Plan will establish flow and water quality standards for the Delta.
However, ICF is also the principal consultant to the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) project that is proposing to construct twin-tunnels under the Delta to divert water directly to southern California. BDCP will have to comply with the updated Water Quality Control Plan and the state and federal water projects will have to obtain State Water Board approval to change the point of diversion for the twin-tunnels.
CSPA believes that having the same consultant representing both BDCP and the State Water Board is an egregious and fundamental conflict of interest. It is simply unacceptable to have a developer’s principal consultant for a project also advising and analyzing the project on behalf of the agency that must approve the project.