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Photo: Department of Water Resources

Delta Stewardship Council & Delta Restoration and Protection (Senate Bill No.1)

SB 1 establishes the framework to achieve the co-equal goals of providing a more reliable water supply for California and restoring and enhancing the Delta ecosystem. The co-equal goals will be achieved in a manner that protects the unique cultural, recreational, natural resource and agricultural values of the Delta. Specifically, this bill:

• Creates the Delta Stewardship Council, consisting of seven members with diverse expertise providing a broad statewide perspective. The Chairperson of the Delta Protection Committee is a permanent member of the council. The Council is also tasked with:
  
  
  • Developing a Delta Plan to guide state and local actions in the Delta in a manner that furthers the co-equal goals of Delta restoration and water supply reliability;
  • Developing performance measures for the assessment and tracking of progress and changes to the health of the Delta ecosystem, fisheries, and water supply reliability;
  • Determining if a state or local agency's project in the Delta is consistent with the Delta Plan and the co-equal goals, and acting as the appellate body in the event of a claim that such a project is inconsistent with the goals; and
  • Determining the consistency of the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) wit hteh co-equal goals.
    
    
• Ensures that the Department of Fish and Game and the State Water Resources Control Board identify the water supply needs of the Delta estuary for use in determining the appropriate water diversion amounts associated with BDCP.
  
  
• Establishes the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy to implement ecosystem restoration activities within the Delta. In addition to the restoration duties, the Conservancy is required to:
  
  
  • Adopt a strategic plan for implementation of the Conservancy goals;
  • Promote economic vitality in the Delta through increased tourism and the promotion of Delta legacy communities;
  • Promote environmental education about, and the public use of, public lands in the Delta;
  • Assist in the preservation, conservation, and restoration of the region's agricultural, cultural, historic and living resources.
    
    
• Restructures the current Delta Protection Commission (DPC), reducing the membership from 23 to 15 members, and tasks DPC with the duties of:
  
  
  • Adopting an economic sustainability plan for the Delta, which is to include flood protection recommendations to state and local agencies;
  • Submitting the economic sustainability plan to the Delta Stewardship Council for inclusion in the Delta Plan.
    
    
• Appropriates funding from Proposition 84 fund the Two-Gates Fish Protection Demonstration Program, a project in the central Delta which will utilize operable gates for protection of sensitive species and management of water supply.
  

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