SACRAMENTO, California — California water regulators are moving forward with a plan backed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom that would overhaul water quality and flow rules in the sensitive ecosystem of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Bay Delta.
What happened: The State Water Resources Control Board released a new version of its Bay-Delta plan on Wednesday. The plan lets participating water agencies meet protections for species like chinook salmon and Delta smelt through a 2022 deal Newsom struck with cities and farmers to keep more water in rivers and restore habitat, rather than the state’s tougher default flow rules.
The board also announced it would consider adopting the plan at its Oct. 28 and 29 board meeting, putting one of Newsom’s signature water deals on track for adoption before he leaves office.
Why this matters: The board has been working on updating its water quality rules for the Bay-Delta region since 2012 but has been slowed by lawsuits and heated debate over how to balance water deliveries to cities and farms with protections for endangered species. The region provides water to around 30 million Californians and 4 million acres of irrigated agriculture, while also being home to threatened and endangered species like the chinook salmon, and the Delta smelt.
