the peripheral canal, which since 2015 has been called the california waterfix, was a planned twin tunnel project that would extend through the center of the delta, below ground. earlier designs called for a canal to skirt the delta to the east, hence its name. it would have drawn water from the sacramento river to bypass the sacramento–san joaquin river delta, a vast estuary and agricultural region consisting of over of tidal waterways. supporters of the canal included the central valley farmers and the metropolitan water district and urban developers in los angeles who are beneficiaries of the water. supporters claimed it would eliminate the need to pull water directly through this sensitive region, reducing salinity intrusion and water quality problems during the dry season. the canal was included in the initial swp planning, and the lack of the canal is among the principal reasons the swp has never been able to deliver its full entitlement.