Learn About and Weigh in on Potential Impacts of Proposed “Phase 2” Sacramento River Watershed Unimpaired Flow Standards and Proposed Voluntary Agreements
What? – Public Comment Opportunity on High-Stakes Draft “Phase 2” Sacramento River Watershed Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan Updates
The State Water Resources Control Board is seeking public input in a series of public workshops on the newly released draft Bay-Delta Plan Water Quality Control Plan Update.
It is critical for agricultural users statewide:
- to understand potential far-reaching impacts of the Board’s proposed unimpaired flows on agricultural water supplies,
- to understand the “Voluntary Agreement” alternative to these unimpaired flow standards, and
- to weigh in with the Board on both.
View the CAFB-Prepared Water Supply Impacts Summary Here to Better Understand Potential Water Impacts of the Proposed Bay-Delta Plan Changes Region-by-Region and County-by-County
When? / Where? / How? – Public Workshops & Written or Oral Comment Deadline
- Workshop Dates - The Water Board held all-day technical workshops on November 20, 2024 (“Regulatory Flows” workshop) and November 22, 2024 (“Voluntary Agreements” workshop) and also heard public.
- In-Person or Virtual Oral Comments - Members of the public can make general comments at the December 12, 2024 hearing after 1pm by submitting a virtual speaker card no later than December 10, 2024 using the link provided here and now, also, during an additional "general public comments" opportunity at the Board's last all-day workshop on January 23, 2025.
- Viewing Workshops Without Commenting - Persons who wish to only view a workshop without commenting can view the livestream provided each day at the link provided here.
Additional Background
- 45- to 65-Percent Proposed Sacramento River Watershed Unimpaired Flows - Current proposed 45- to 65-percent Sacramento River Watershed standards would have devastating impacts on agricultural water users and California’s economy statewide and would likely not be effective at protecting native fish species.
- These proposed “Phase 2” changes follow the Board’s adoption of 45- to 55-percent default, January through June “Phase 1” Bay-Delta Plan Update “unimpaired flow” standards on the Merced, Tuolumne, and Stanislaus Rivers in 2018. These earlier changes are pending implementation and, also, the subject of on-going litigation.
- Proposed Water User-Backed “Voluntary Agreements” Alternative - As in “Phase 1,” proposed “Voluntary Agreement” alternatives to the Board’s “Phase 2” Sacramento River unimpaired flow standards would commit significant amounts of new water and land to improve conditions for native fish while, at the same time, reasonably balancing and protecting other ‘beneficial uses” of water, including irrigation.
1. Note: The Board’s percentage-based, proposed “unimpaired flows” refer to a dedicated volume of set-aside environmental water equivalent to a percentage of all runoff occurring in the watershed from January through June of every year. As proposed, in both Phases 1 and 2, the Board would then further reserve the option to “adaptively” “flow shift” and “shape” and time releases of these volumes across the whole or a year, and even from one year to the next. This “flow shifting” can have enormous water supply impacts in itself.
- Phone: (916) 561-5500
- Fax: (916) 561-4507
- Email: cfbf@cfbf.com
- 2600 River Plaza Dr.
- Sacramento, CA 95833
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