Saving the west coast's largest estuary

California's Bay-Delta, the 1,300 square miles where  the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers meet and flow into San Francisco Bay, is the most important biological asset on the west coast, home to 750 species of fish, birds and other animals. It is also a significant source of water for some California cities and San Joaquin Valley  agriculture. 

But years of increases in freshwater diversions, toxic discharges, invasive species and other factors have pushed the Bay-Delta ecosystem to its breaking point. Many fish populations — from commercially important salmon and sturgeon to Delta smelt — are crashing, with profound consequences for the estuary and the entire food chain, including people.

The big challenge for California, and for EDF, is to transform how water is used  — and the policies that govern it — to protect wildlife and our natural heritage while ensuring that cities and agriculture get reliable supplies.

The Bay-Delta: The West’s Major Estuary and Hub of the State and Federal Water Projects

The West Coast's largest estuary was once a marshy floodplain with a natural labyrinth of streams that sustained an abundance of fish and wildlife, and a rich diversity of wetland and open water habitats.

Today, the Delta’s  rustic landscape has been transformed by a system of aqueducts, levees andreclaimed islands that support a thriving local farming and recreation economy. These levees are extremely vulnerable to catastrophic failure in the event of an earthquake or flood. The Delta is also home to the federal Central Valley Project (CVP) and the State Water Project (SWP), among the largest water projects in the nation.  

Together these Projects provide about 15% of California’s total water supply for cities and farms. Delivering freshwater from the Sacramento River system to San Joaquin Valley farms and southern California urban areas.Two sets of massive pumps, one state and one federal, are situated in the southern end of the Delta pumping billions of freshwater up and out of the estuary for export south. Over the last decade in particular, exports reached record highs. Over the past 35 years, ever-increasing diversions, coupled with pollution, invasive species and loss of wetlands, have pushed the ecosystem to the brink of collapse. California’s iconic salmon and other native fish that depend on the estuary and freshwater flows  water are at risk of disappearing forever.

An unhealthy Delta worsens economic woes

The loss of salmon and other fish would deal a permanent blow to the livelihoods of commercial fishermen, as well as to tourism and recreational fishing jobs. In 2008 and 2009, salmon commercial fishermen were hard hit by fishery closures, with losses estimated at $279 million.

Urban water supplies are squeezed, too, and some farmers are hurting, especially landowners with "junior" water rights who bear the brunt of reduced deliveries during times of drought.

Attacks on protection for endangered fish

Some Central Valley politicians and advocate have mistakenly blamed their water problems on protections for endangered wildlife, rather than drought conditions and outdated water policies. The farmers are demanding more water. Waves of attacks on the Endangered Species Act have become the norm — from battles in Congress to the courts.

“Fortunately, there are ways to balance the water needs of fish, farms and families,” says California water legislative director Cynthia Koehler.

How EDF will tackle the challenges ahead

EDF is working with key legislators in both Sacramento and Washington, D.C. to make sure strong safeguards for wildlife remain in place. We also advocate well-designed water markets that provide incentives for conservation and decrease over-reliance on the Bay-Delta.

We are fully engaged with the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan, to ensure recovery of the estuary’s at-risk fish and wildlife. EDF also promotes innovative solutions — such as precision drip irrigation for crops — to encourage Californians to use water more efficiently.

And we are helping implement recent water policy changes to ensure that California's system is working for everyone — families, farms and fish.