On Dec. 12, 2019, the State Water Resources Control Board heard about proposed voluntary settlement agreements related to the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary. We believe it is critically important that SWRCB is able to hear this proposal and many different points of view.
The proposal put forward by the California Department of Water Resources, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and several public water agencies represents a collaborative effort to advance species management, relying on the integration of flow and habitat measures along with new funding to meet species needs. (Read more about voluntary settlement agreements on this blog by the California Department of Water Resources.) It leads to system-wide environmental improvements that can be immediately implemented.
“Common sense tells us that collaborative, voluntary negotiated approaches that come from affected parties are far more effective than ‘command-and-control’ measures that spawn more litigation than real-world results. Agreements among the multiple parties are the best way to achieve immediate environmental benefits and assure water reliability, not state mandates. That is true not just in the Bay-Delta, but throughout California as we work together toward a sustainable water future.”
Charley Wilson
Executive Director
Southern California Water Coalition
Background: These voluntary settlement agreements pertain to the operations of the State Water Project, a critical water delivery system serving 27 million Californians. SCWC supports the modernization of this system with the proposed Delta Conveyance project. Read our Frequently Asked Questions about Delta Conveyance.