San Francisco Bay/Sacramento – San Joaquin Delta Estuary (Bay-Delta) Program
Update of the Bay-Delta Plan: Delta Outflows, Sacramento River and Delta Tributary Inflows, Cold Water Habitat and Interior Delta Flows
The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) is in the process of a review and update of the 2006 Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary (Bay-Delta) (referred to as the 2006 Bay-Delta Plan). The Bay-Delta Plan identifies beneficial uses of water in the Bay-Delta, water quality objectives for the reasonable protection of those beneficial uses, and a program of implementation for achieving the water quality objectives. The proposed changes to the Bay-Delta Plan include: new inflow requirements for the Sacramento River, its tributaries, and eastside tributaries to the Delta (the Mokelumne, Calaveras and Cosumnes rivers); new and modified Delta outflow requirements; new requirements for cold water habitat; new and modified interior Delta flow requirements; recommendations for complementary ecosystem protection actions that others should take; and adaptive management, monitoring, evaluation, special study, and reporting provisions. The update includes consideration of voluntary agreements. Information concerning the State Water Board's review of the Bay-Delta Plan can be found on the Bay-Delta Program Planning Efforts web page.
- Draft Scientific Basis Report Supplement in Support of Proposed Voluntary Agreements for the Sacramento River, Delta, and Tributaries Update to the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Water Quality Control Plan (January 5, 2023)
- Sacramento Water Allocation Model (SacWAM) webpage (updated April 26, 2019)
- Framework for the Sacramento/Delta Update to Bay-Delta Plan (July 6, 2018)
- Fact Sheet (updated October 4, 2017)
- 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
- Final Scientific Basis Report (Science Report) in support of the Update of the Bay-Delta Plan (2017)
- Peer Review of the Science Report, including responses to peer review comments (posted October 4, 2017). To receive a copy of any of these documents please contact Bay-Delta@waterboards.ca.gov.
- General Public Comments and Responses
- December 22, 2016 - Letter from State Water Board Chair Felicia Marcus to Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.
- Delta Independent Science Board (ISB) Review of Working Draft Scientific Basis Report for New and Revised Flow Requirements on the Sacramento River and Tributaries, Eastside Tributaries to the Delta, Delta Outflow, and Interior Delta Operations
- December 7, 2016 Public Workshop on Working Draft Scientific Basis Report for Potential Amendments to the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary
- Notice of Opportunity for Public Comment and Notice of Public Workshop on Working Draft Scientific Basis Report - October 19, 2016
- Press Release
- Fact Sheet
- Working Draft Scientific Basis Report for New and Revised Flow Requirements on the Sacramento River and Tributaries, Eastside Tributaries to the Delta, Delta Outflow, and Interior Delta Operations
- Attachment A to Appendix A of the Working Draft Report - Sacramento Valley Unimpaired Flow Model Schematic (prints on large custom sized paper)
- October 5, 2016 - Delta Science Program Independent Peer Review Report regarding the Department of Water Resources Report titled, "On Estimating Net Delta Outflow (NDO) – Approaches to Estimating NDO in the Sacramento - San Joaquin Delta"
- March 2016 - Department of Water Resources Report: On Estimating Net Delta Outflow (NDO) - Approaches to estimating NDO in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
- July 2014 - Delta Science Program Workshop on Interior Delta Flows and Related Stressors Panel Summary Report
- May 5, 2014 - Delta Science Program Workshop on Delta Outflows and Related Stressors Panel Summary Report
- April 16-17, 2014 - Delta Science Program Workshop on Interior Delta Flows and Related Stressors
- February 10-11, 2014 - Delta Science Program Workshop on Delta Outflows and Related Stressors
- April 9, 2013 - Informational Item: Next Steps for Draft Summary Report on Technical Workshops in Support of the Comprehensive Review of the Bay-Delta Plan.
- Public Comments
- Board Meeting Video: Video 1 | Video 2 | Video 3
- Revised Public Notice for 2012 Informational Workshops, dated August 16, 2012. In September, October, and November 2012, workshops were held to receive scientific and technical information on (1) Ecosystem Changes and the Low Salinity Zone; (2) Bay-Delta Fishery Resources (focusing on pelagic fishes and salmonids), and (3) Analytical Tools for Evaluating the Water Supply, Hydrodynamic, and Hydropower Effects of the Bay-Delta Plan.
- Final Workshops Summary Report prepared by ICF (
- Draft Workshops Summary Report prepared by ICF International
- Public Comments Received After the Workshops
- Workshop Agendas, Speaker Presentations, Videos, and Comments Received
- Public Comments Regarding Potential Workshop Panel Members
- Original Notice of Public Workshops, dated June 22, 2012
- Informational Item - June 19, 2012 State Water Board Meeting
- Save the Dates Notice
- Supplemental Notice of Preparation (NOP)
- Notice of Preparation
- 2008-2009 Periodic Review of the 2006 Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary and Evidentiary Hearings (Staff Report Adopted August 4, 2009)
More Information
For questions about the material presented on this web page, please contact:
- Karen Niiya at (916) 341-5365 or by email at Karen.Niiya@waterboards.ca.gov
