A blueprint for restoring the Bay-Delta

Significant volumes of water are diverted each year from the Bay-Delta for the needs of California's growing population and farms. After decades of excessive pumping, the Delta is near ecological collapse.

Salmon and other fish are perilously close to extinction. Endangered animals like the San Joaquin kit fox and the California red-legged frog also depend on the health of the Delta. Declining populations of fish and other wildlife are a warning sign that the ecosystem is out of balance.

The state's water system has not only failed to protect wildlife but has also left farmers and city dwellers uncertain from year to year as to how much water they will get.

Environmental Defense Fund has been an active player in efforts to develop a long-term conservation strategy for the Bay-Delta that seeks to recover imperiled species and improve the reliability of water supplies to cities and farms.

A plan that engages all water users

Recognizing the mounting pressure on the Delta ecosystem, a consortium of state and federal agencies, water districts, EDF and other environmental organizations began an ambitious collaborative effort in 2006, called the Bay Delta Conservation Plan.

State and federal environmental laws stipulate that all projects conveying water from northern California to the rest of the state must obtain permits to operate in the Delta. The conservation plan aims to provide a framework for issuing those permits that guarantees sufficient water for wildlife.

The plan also hopes to achieve comprehensive protections for threatened and endangered species through an ecosystem-focused approach, instead of the project-by-project or species-by-species issuance of permits that can result in years of legal battles.

The plan’s objectives and how they will be achieved

The conservation plan seeks to:

• Recover endangered and sensitive species and their habitats in the Delta. The crucial first step toward recovery is to determine the amount of freshwater flows needed to sustain the ecosystem. Extensive peer-reviewed data and analysis, including recommendations from EDF and the State Water Resources Control Board, will inform the decision.


• Improve water supply reliability for the two major projects that deliver water from the north to farm communities and population centers in the south. (They are the State Water Project and the Central Valley Project). On the table are four options to convey water through or around the Delta that will ensure ecosystem recovery, including a peripheral canal or tunnel.


• Establish conservation strategies. The conservation plan will evaluate ways to enhance or restore the Bay-Delta's ecosystem. These include revitalizing seasonal floodplain and tidal marshes and reducing the number of fish killed by the pumps. The plan will identify large areas of land for wetland habitat and establish improved water flows for fish, based on the best available science.


• Address pollution and other stressors on the Delta. Besides insufficient water for wildlife and habitat, the estuary has been severely compromised by toxic pollutants, invasive species and poor water quality. The conservation plan has identified key stressors on wildlife and developed a preliminary list of conservation measures to address them, such as controlling predators and removing invasive and non-native plants.


• Create a framework for adaptive management and monitoring, as well as a governance and a "beneficiary pays" financing strategy to implement the plan over time. A flexible management plan will address uncertainties in how the ecosystem will respond to conservation measures and adapt over time. The recent legislation paves the way for fishery agencies to act authoritatively to protect threatened species.

What are the ingredients for success?

• Life-sustaining freshwater flows in the Delta for ecosystem recovery.


• Clearly defined outcomes for recovering species and habitat, with specific targets.


• A robust adaptive management and monitoring plan, including specific biological metrics to determine if progress is being made.


• Improved governance of water operations to ensure that fishery agencies have the authority to take actions needed to protect species.


• "Beneficiary pays" system of financing, meaning that the recipients of water from new water infrastructure projects pay the true costs for that water.


• Independent scientific review to ensure a credible and robust plan.

What is EDF doing?

EDF is working to develop the most comprehensive conservation plan ever developed to protect fish, birds and other wildlife that depend on the Delta, while pressing for fair and independent oversight of the conservation plan through the new Delta Stewardship Council, created by the water reform package passed in 2009.