Highly variable water quality, high vulnerability to raw water supply interruption and delivery system failure, and customer dissatisfaction have caused the Contra Costa Water District (CCWD) to develop the Los Vaqueros Project: a $450 million water storage and delivery system. CCWD plans to construct a District-controlled water storage and supply system consisting of a dam, reservoir, pumping stations, fish screens, pipelines, watershed and mitigation lands, and environmental education and recreation facilities. The project began in 1985 with the decision to develop a specific plan to address the water quality and reliability issues in an environmentally responsible manner. A "socio-technical" approach, whereby technical work and socio- political work are continually interfaced has been adopted for management of the project. The interactions and level of involvement of governance, finance, environmental, regulatory and permitting groups, while varying over time, have produced and maintained the level of commitment necessary to sustain implementation of the project.