Sacramento/Delta Update to Bay-Delta Plan
Currently, the State Water Board is considering amendments to the Bay-Delta Plan focused on the reasonable protection of fish and wildlife in the Sacramento River and its tributaries, Delta eastside tributaries (including the Calaveras, Cosumnes, and Mokelumne Rivers), and Delta. The proposed amendments would be implemented through two pathways: (1) a voluntary agreement pathway for specified Healthy Rivers and Landscapes (HRL) water rights, and (2) a regulatory pathway for other water rights.
If adopted, the Plan would incorporate Tribal Beneficial Uses and formally designate the use of water for Tribal Tradition and Culture as a beneficial use to be protected. The proposal recognizes the intrinsic connection between native fish populations, including salmon, and tribal tradition and culture.
Announcements
October 28-29, 2026 Board Meeting
The State Water Board will consider adoption of the Sacramento/Delta updates to the Bay-Delta Plan and the supporting final Staff Report at a Board meeting on October 28-29, 2026, and continuing on October 30, 2026, if necessary. For information on how to provide oral comments at the Board meeting, please refer to the notice (aviso en Español).
- Public Notice
- Agenda Item
- Cover Letter
- August 19, 2026 Version of the Final Staff Report (Not Including Changes Identified in Change Sheet #1 Below)
- Draft Resolution Adopting the Final Staff Report and Plan Amendments, Including:
- Responsiveness Summary Addressing New Public Comments on the August 2026 Final Draft Plan
- Proposed Changes to August 2026 Final Draft Plan Identified in Strikeout and Underline
- Change Sheet #1 Identifying the Changes to the August 2026 Final Draft Plan and Staff Report in Tabular Format
Key Documents
Draft Updates to the Bay-Delta Plan
- Final Draft Sacramento/Delta Updates to the Bay-Delta Plan (October 16, 2026 tracked changes to August 2026 draft)
- Appendix A. Bay-Delta Monitoring and Evaluation Program (BDMEP) (no changes since August 2026 draft)
- Appendix B.1. Voluntary Agreement Pathway Accounting Protocols: Flow Accounting (October 16, 2026 tracked changes to August 2026 draft)
- Appendix B.2. Voluntary Agreement Pathway Accounting Protocols: Non-Flow Habitat Accounting (no changes since August 2026 draft)
- Revised Draft Sacramento/Delta Updates to the Bay-Delta Plan (December 2025)
- Revised Draft Sacramento/Delta Updates to Bay-Delta Plan (July 2025)
- Appendix A. Bay-Delta Monitoring and Evaluation Program (BDMEP)
- Appendix B.1. Voluntary Agreements Accounting Protocol: Flow Accounting
- Appendix B.2. Voluntary Agreements Accounting Protocol: Non-Flow Habitat Accounting
- Supplemental Modeling of 55 Percent of Unimpaired Flow with Water Supply Adjustments
- Draft Sacramento/Delta Updates to Bay-Delta Plan (October 2024)
Staff Report in Support of Sacramento/Delta Updates to the Bay-Delta Plan
- Final Staff Report (August 2026)
- Limited Recirculation of Draft Staff Report (December 2025)
- Draft Staff Report (September 2023)
Scientific Basis Report Supplement
- Final Scientific Basis Report Supplement (August 2026) (see Appendix F for response to peer review)
- Peer Review of the Final Draft Scientific Basis Report Supplement (February 2024)
- Final Draft Scientific Basis Report Supplement (September 2023)
- Draft Scientific Basis Report Supplement (January 2023)
2017 Scientific Basis Report
- Final Scientific Basis Report (October 2017)
- Response to Peer Review Comments on the Final Draft Scientific Basis Report (October 2017)
- Peer Review of the Final Draft Scientific Basis Report (May 2017)
Other Documents
- Framework for Sacramento/Delta Update (July 2018)
Resources
- FAQ: Update and Implementation of the Bay-Delta Plan (July 2025)
- FAQ: Update and Implementation of the Bay-Delta Plan (October 2024)
- Video: Overview of Sacramento/Delta Update to Bay-Delta Plan and Draft Staff Report (October 2023)
- FAQ: Draft Staff Report in Support of Sacramento/Delta Update (September 2023)
- FAQ: Draft Scientific Basis Report Supplement in Support of Proposed Voluntary Agreements (January 2023)
- Fact Sheet: Phase II Update (October 2017)
- Fact Sheet: Working Draft Scientific Basis Report (October 2016)
Prior Events and Actions
- August 28, 2026 – Response to Requests from Sierra Club California and Save California Salmon to Extend the Comment Period on the Final Draft Bay-Delta Plan and Provide Written Comments on the Supporting Final Staff Report
- August 28, 2026 – Response to Request from the Delta Tribal Environmental Coalition to Extend the Comment Period on the Final Draft Bay-Delta Plan, Provide Written Comments on the Supporting Final Staff Report and Scientific Basis Report Supplement, and Modify Associated Board Meeting Dates
- August 19, 2026 – Notice of Opportunity for Public Comment and Board Meeting to Consider Adoption of Sacramento/Delta Updates to the Bay-Delta Plan | Aviso en Español
- January 28-30, 2026 – Public Hearing on Revised Draft Sacramento/Delta Updates to Bay-Delta Plan and Chapter 13 of Supporting Draft Staff Report
- January 7, 2026 – Response to Requests to Extend the Comment Period and Delay the Hearing on the Revised Draft Sacramento/Delta Updates to the Bay-Delta Plan and Chapter 13 of the Draft Staff Report
- December 12, 2025 – Notice of Limited Recirculation and Opportunity for Comment and Hearing on Revised Draft Sacramento/Delta Updates to Bay-Delta Plan and Chapter 13 of Supporting Draft Staff Report | Aviso en Español
- September 16, 2025 – Rescinded Notice of Public Comment and Hearing on Revised Sacramento/Delta Updates to Bay-Delta Plan | Aviso de Rescindida
- August 22, 2025 – Second Revised Notice of Public Comment and Hearing on Revised Draft Sacramento/Delta Updates to Bay-Delta Plan | Segundo Aviso Revisado en Español
- August 15, 2025 – Revised Notice of Public Comment and Hearing on Revised Draft Sacramento/Delta Updates to Bay-Delta Plan | Aviso Revisado en Español
- July 24, 2025 – Notice of Public Comment and Hearing on Revised Draft Sacramento/Delta Updates to Bay-Delta Plan | Aviso en Español
- March 4, 2025 – Working Meeting #11 (Tribal Provisions)
- February 27, 2025 – Working Meeting #10 (Voluntary Agreement Flow Commitments and Accounting)
- February 20, 2025 – Working Meeting #9 (Monitoring and Evaluation for Voluntary Agreement Provisions)
- February 20, 2025 – Questions to Guide Working Meetings
- February 19, 2025 – Working Meeting #8 (Voluntary Agreement Habitat Commitments and Accounting Provisions)
- February 13, 2025 – Working Meeting #7 (Provisions for Continuation, Modification, or Termination of Voluntary Agreements)
- February 5, 2025 – Working Meeting #6 (Monitoring and Evaluation for Regulatory Provisions)
- February 4, 2025 – Working Meeting #5 (Methodology to Determine Water Unavailability and Implement Bay-Delta Plan)
- January 30, 2025 – Working Meeting #4 (Inflow-Based Delta Outflow Objective and Program of Implementation)
- January 29, 2025 – Working Meeting #3 (Cold Water Habitat Objective and Program of Implementation)
- January 28, 2025 – Working Meeting #2 (Inflow Objective and Program of Implementation)
- January 23, 2025 – Workshop on Draft Sacramento/Delta Updates to the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan (Day 5)
- January 16, 2025 – Working Meeting #1 (Purpose and Overall Approach)
- January 3, 2025 – Opportunity to Participate in Working Meetings on Draft Sacramento/Delta Updates to Bay-Delta Plan
- December 12, 2024 – Workshop on Draft Sacramento/Delta Updates to the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan (Day 4)
- December 12, 2024 - Third Revised Notice of Public Comment and Workshop on Draft Sacramento/Delta Updates to Bay-Delta Plan
- December 3, 2024 – Workshop on Draft Sacramento/Delta Updates to the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan (Day 3)
- November 22, 2024 – Workshop on Draft Sacramento/Delta Updates to the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan (Day 2)
- November 20, 2024 – Workshop on Draft Sacramento/Delta Updates to the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan (Day 1)
- November 6, 2024 – Second Revised Notice of Public Comment and Workshop on Draft Sacramento/Delta Updates to Bay-Delta Plan | Segundo Aviso Revisado
- November 1, 2024 – Revised Notice of Public Comment and Workshop on Draft Sacramento/Delta Updates to Bay-Delta Plan
- October 25, 2024 – Notice of Public Comment and Workshop on Draft Sacramento/Delta Updates to Bay-Delta Plan
- April 24-26, 2024 – Board Workshop on Proposed VAs
- March 8, 2024 – Notice of Board Workshop on Proposed Voluntary Agreements Related to Sacramento/Delta Update to Bay-Delta Plan
- December 11, 2023 – Public Hearing on Draft Staff Report (Day 3)
- December 1, 2023 – Public Hearing on Draft Staff Report (Day 2)
- November 17, 2023 – Public Hearing on Draft Staff Report (Day 1)
- November 14, 2023 – Revised Notice of Availability and Opportunity for Public Comment, Hearing, and Staff Workshops on Draft Staff Report
- November 2, 2023 – Staff Workshop on Modeling Used in Draft Staff Report
- October 19, 2023 – Staff Workshop on Overview of Draft Staff Report
- September 28, 2023 – Notice of Availability and Opportunity for Public Comment, Hearing, and Staff Workshops on Draft Staff Report
- June 7, 2023 – Board Meeting Informational Item on Addition of Tribal Beneficial Uses to Bay-Delta Plan
- January 5, 2023 – Notice of Draft Scientific Basis Report Supplement
- October 4, 2017 – Response to 2017 Peer Review Comments on the Scientific Basis Report in Support of New and Modified Requirements in Support of the Phase II Update of the Bay-Delta Plan
- October 4, 2017 – Notice Regarding Information and Future Updates of the Bay-Delta Plan
- October 4, 2017 – Notice of Opportunity to Provide Input to Inform the Development of the Program of Implementation for the Update of the Bay-Delta Plan
- February 23, 2017 – Delta Independent Science Board Review of Working Draft Scientific Basis Report
- December 22, 2016 – Letter from Board Chair Felicia Marcus to Governor Brown
- December 7, 2016 – Workshop on Working Draft Scientific Basis Report
- October 19, 2016 – Notice of Opportunity for Public Comment and Notice of Public Workshop on Working Draft Scientific Basis Report
- October 5, 2016 – Delta Science Program Independent Peer Review Report on Estimating Net Delta Outflow
- March 2016 – Department of Water Resources Report on Estimating Net Delta Outflow
- July 2014 – Delta Science Program Panel Summary Report for Workshop on Interior Delta Flows and Related Stressors
- May 5, 2014 – Delta Science Program Panel Summary Report for Workshop on Delta Outflows and Related Stressors
- April 9, 2013 – Board Meeting Informational Item on Next Steps for Comprehensive Review
- September, October, and November 2012 – Public Workshops
- June 19, 2012 – Board Meeting Informational Item on Organization of Workshops
- January 24, 2012 – Supplemental Notice of Preparation
- February 13, 2009 – Notice of Preparation
- 2009 Periodic Review of the 2006 Water Quality Control Plan
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Quick Links
Public Comments
To request a copy of written public comments or other documents related to the Sacramento/Delta updates to the Bay-Delta Plan, contact SacDeltaComments@waterboards.ca.gov.
