By Valley Ag Voice Staff
The State Water Resources Control Board staff released draft updates to the Bay-Delta plan on Nov. 6 for public review. The draft covers potential updates to the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento San Joaquin Delta Watershed.
State law requires California’s water board to create and review plans to protect water quality in rivers and other surface waters. These draft updates are focused on the Sacramento River watershed, Delta eastside tributaries, and Delta for the “reasonable protection of fish and wildlife beneficial uses.”
The draft updates focus on protecting fish in the Sacramento River system and build on previous efforts to increase fish populations in the San Joaquin River. Staff have suggested regulating 45% to 65% of natural river flow for salmon and steelhead populations.
Based on comments on this draft, State Water Board staff will develop a revised draft of proposed updates to the Bay-Delta Plan for additional public comment and board consideration. The draft updates are available for public review on the SWB website.
The deadline for written comments on the draft updates is Dec. 19, 2024 — the board will not accept further comments on the previously released draft Staff Report. Comments can be submitted by email to SacDeltaComments@waterboards.ca.gov with the subject “Comment Letter – Draft Sacramento/Delta BayDelta Plan Updates.”
