The State Water Resources Control Board has issued a final draft of its regulatory framework governing freshwater flows through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The board will accept public feedback on the proposal until Friday, Sept. 18, before potentially adopting the Water Quality Control Plan at an Oct. 28 meeting.
Under the proposed rules, entities holding water rights may select one of two compliance methods. The first option requires maintaining a minimum flow rate from Sacramento River tributaries. Alternatively, users may voluntarily fund habitat restoration projects that include specific flow volumes instead of sustaining the required minimum flow rate.
The Delta serves as a critical water source for nearly 30 million residents and 4 million acres of agricultural land across California. Spanning over 1,000 square miles, the region channels water from the Sierra Nevada mountains through San Francisco Bay.
The area supports endangered wildlife, replenishes groundwater supplies, and acts as the intake point for the State Water Project, a 700-mile infrastructure system delivering water to Central and Southern California.
Eric Buescher, managing attorney for the environmental nonprofit San Francisco Baykeeper, described the baseline for calculating flow standards as "unimpaired flow." He defined this as the total volume of rain and snow that would naturally move through rivers into the Delta without obstruction from dams or diversions.
Water agencies opting for the first compliance path must commit to maintaining 55% of unimpaired flow in the river. This requirement may drop to 35% during the driest periods. Buescher noted that while 55% is not ideal, it represents a significant improvement over current practices and the alternative restoration pathway.
The second option, known as the Healthy Rivers and Landscape pathway, applies specifically to the Sacramento River and its tributaries. This method relies on voluntary agreements to restore fish spawning and rearing habitats. Participating agencies must provide specific water volumes from tributaries including the American, Yuba, Feather, and Mokelumne rivers.
