The measure creates a framework for securing state, federal, and private investment to address two growing threats to California’s water system: aging Delta levees and land subsidence that is reducing the capacity of the State Water Project. The bill received rare support from both environmental advocates and water agencies, demonstrating a shared commitment to protecting California’s water future.

SCWC Executive Director and CEO Charley Wilson applauded the bill’s passage, stating:

“The Southern California Water Coalition applauds Senator McNerney and the Legislature for the unanimous passage of SB 872. This is the kind of action and collaboration California needs to protect the water infrastructure that millions of people, businesses, and communities depend on every day.

More than half of California’s nearly 40 million residents live in Southern California, and our communities and economy depend on reliable and affordable water. Protecting the Delta’s levees and addressing subsidence that has reduced the capacity of the State Water Project are not simply regional issues. These are investments in a statewide water system that supports our communities, economy, agriculture and environment.

California does not lack knowledge about its water challenges. We know our infrastructure is aging, we know where many of the vulnerabilities are, and we know many of the investments that need to be made. The unanimous support for SB 872 shows what is possible when we move beyond the old North-versus-South water debates and focus on solutions that benefit the entire state.

Passing SB 872 is an important step. Now we need to finish the job. We encourage Governor Newsom to sign the bill and the Legislature and Administration to provide the funding necessary to put it to work. Reliable water infrastructure is not simply a cost—it is an investment in California’s future. The urgency is real. Now we need to turn that urgency into action and deliver results.”

Read the press release from Senator Jerry McNerney’s office HERE.

The Southern California Water Coalition (SCWC) – established in 1984 – is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public education partnership dedicated to informing Southern Californians about our water needs and our state’s water resources.

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“The Southern California Water Coalition strongly supports the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Program as a practical, science‑based path forward for California. With more than half of the state’s nearly 40 million residents and a major share of its economy depending on reliable, affordable water supplies, Southern California has a profound stake in both a healthy Bay‑Delta and a functional statewide water system.”

“We urge the State Water Board to resolve the remaining issues in a way that preserves the program’s core strengths—sound science, adaptive management, accountability, and long‑term certainty. California has spent decades debating these challenges. Now is the time to move from debate to action and deliver measurable results for our environment, our economy, and our communities.”

On August 19, 2026, the State Water Resources Control Board released for public review and comment a final draft of updates to the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Watershed (Bay-Delta Plan or Plan) and the final Staff Report/Substitute Environmental Document (Staff Report) in support of the Sacramento/Delta updates to the Bay-Delta Plan. Written comments are due on September 18, 2026. The Board will consider adoption of the final draft Plan and final Staff Report at public meetings taking place October 28-30, 2026 in Sacramento. Read the notice, plan and report HERE. 

The Southern California Water Coalition (SCWC) – established in 1984 – is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public education partnership dedicated to informing Southern Californians about our water needs and our state’s water resources.

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This week, SCWC Executive Director Charley Wilson issued a statement recognizing the significance of this milestone and the leadership that made it possible:

“California took a big step forward this week with the State Water Board’s proposed update to the Bay-Delta Plan, which now includes the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Program. This is a bold and thoughtful move that reflects years of behind-the-scenes work—and it wouldn’t have happened without Governor Newsom’s leadership and vision.

The Governor has brought people together in a way we don’t often see in water policy. Urban, agricultural, environmental, and tribal voices all came to the table to shape a voluntary path forward. That kind of collaboration is rare—and powerful.

Voluntary agreements like these are a smarter, more effective way to solve complex water challenges than relying on regulation or litigation. They build trust, use the best science, and create real, lasting solutions that benefit both our environment and the millions of Californians who depend on a reliable water supply.

We’re proud to support this effort and excited to see it move ahead.”

The Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Program represents years of planning and partnership among diverse stakeholders. It offers a voluntary, science-based approach to restoring ecosystems and improving water reliability—an approach SCWC has long championed.

We look forward to continued collaboration and progress as this initiative moves toward implementation.

Read Governor Gavin Newsom’s statement HERE. View the State Water Resources Control Board Bay-Delta Watershed webpage for more information on the September 8th and 9th, 2025 hearing on the Revised Draft Sacramento/Delta Updates to Bay-Delta Plan. 

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The Southern California Water Coalition supports this action and sent the following letter to the State Water Resources Control Board in support of a temporary urgency change petition to relieve one requirement of this 1999 regulation that pertains to providing additional flows in February and March. 

View a PDF of the letter at this link: https://socalwater.org/wp-content/uploads/TUCP-Support-Letter-2-20-23.pdf) or read the text of letter from Charley Wilson, SCWC Executive Director, below:

February 20, 2023

Ms. Eileen Sobeck, Executive Director, State Water Resources Control Board

Dear Ms. Sobeck:

On behalf of the more than 200 Southern California Water Coalition members, I would like to convey my support for Governor Newsom’s Executive Order of Feb. 14 (N-3-23) to direct a series of water management actions, including a temporary suspension of a wet-year flow requirement stemming back to 1999 that did not anticipate the extreme weather patterns California is now experiencing. The State Water Resources Control Board adopted this requirement as part of Water Rights Decision 1641, which has maintained water quality conditions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta over the years. It has been supplemented with additional pumping restrictions via the state and federal Endangered Species Acts as well.

The Southern California Water Coalition was created in 1983, in response to drought, to coordinate the activities of cities, counties, special districts, the business community, labor and agriculture interests in the stewardship and protection of Southern California’s water supplies. Our members come from Kern, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Imperial and San Diego Counties representing nearly 29 million of our state’s 40 million residents.

It is our understanding that before you is a request for a temporary urgency change petition to relieve one requirement of this 1999 regulation that pertains to providing additional flows in February and March. Twenty years ago, California could have high confidence that if the winter started off with a healthy snowpack, some storms would continue throughout the spring to result in an overall wet season. Today we can have no such confidence due to the weather extremes our state is experiencing.

We see this as a common sense, prudent action that will allow California to adapt in the face of the changed climate conditions. Having short intense periods of rain and longer drier and hotter periods is the new normal. It is incumbent on us all to support balanced beneficial uses and time the release of water supplies, including cold water for the environment and fish, to ensure we have the water that is needed for health and safety water for our urban communities, to sustain our economy and farms, and to protect our ecosystems and natural habitats.

While we hope more major storms are still coming and that the Sierra watersheds and river systems will swell with runoff yet again, we cannot count on luck for something as important as a reliable water supply for our state. Temporarily suspending this one requirement, while maintaining all other environmental protections, is a prudent action to support a balance of beneficial uses. We continue to support wet-year flow at a later date to support the wildlife and environment in the Delta. This circumstance exemplifies how we must adapt to our changed weather circumstances that previous decisions simply did not envision. The climate has changed and so must our actions.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions regarding our support for the Governor’s Executive Order.

Sincerely,

Charley Wilson, Executive Director, Southern California Water Coalition

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Protecting Every Source: Southern California’s Water Story highlights the work that Southern California’s water agencies are doing to transform the regions’ water systems amidst a record drought. The video demonstrates how Southern California has become one of the most water-efficient regions in the world — diversifying our water supply portfolios to expand local water resources while protecting the health of our imported supplies.

“As climate change continues to make year-to-year hydrology less predictable, having a diversified water supply portfolio will help us adapt to meet the needs of our changing climate, and we want to make sure our ratepayers understand how that will happen,” said Paul Liu, SCWC Board Member and Managing Water Utility Engineer at LADWP. “This video will be a vital tool in dispelling the common misconception among Southern California residents that local water supplies will lead us to outgrow the need for imported water — this belief isn’t rooted in reality. Imported water will always be a vital piece of our portfolio.”

The video takes viewers on an animated journey, explaining the sources that make up Southern California’s water supplies. Viewers are shown the foundational importance of imported supplies, like those from the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Colorado River, as well as added strength provided through local water investments in stormwater capture, water recycling and groundwater recharge — and how each of these sources have been impacted by California’s changing climate.

“We’re proud to have LADWP’s support in the development of this resource,” said Charley Wilson, SCWC Executive Director. “SCWC members have been hard at work innovating and modernizing our region’s water systems and it’s important that the communities we serve understand that their water comes from a variety of wide-ranging sources, as far away as the Eastern Sierras and as close as their backyards.”

The video series was made possible through generous funding provided by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.  Animation studio Epipheo also produced SCWC’s Recycled Water video series and a video encouraging California legislators to fund recycled water projects.

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