San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary (Bay-Delta) Program

Comprehensive Review of the Bay-Delta Plan, Water Rights and Other Requirements to Protect Fish and Wildlife Beneficial Uses and the Public Trust

The Bay-Delta Strategic Workplan requires a comprehensive review of the Bay-Delta Plan and water rights and other measures implementing that plan to establish interim and long-term water quality objectives and implementation measures to protect fish and wildlife beneficial uses of water and the public trust.  The Workplan includes information-gathering activities by the State Water Board that may affect the scope of the Bay-Delta Plan revision or provide summaries of science to date at the commencement of the environmental review process.  Those activities include: an October 2008 scoping meeting on periodic review of the Bay-Delta Plan; and a series of evidentiary hearings on a number of critical factual issues concerning the Delta’s ecology.

On November 18, 2008 the State Water Board voted not to proceed with an informational fact-finding proceeding as part of the periodic review of the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan, as originally planned for in the Bay-Delta Strategic Workplan. Staff will proceed with preparation of a periodic review staff report supported by facts recommending which issues the State Water Board should consider for potential modifications in the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan. A draft periodic review staff report is expected to be released for public comment in February of 2009.