Technical Report on the Scientific Basis for Alternative San Joaquin River Flow and Southern Delta Salinity Objectives

The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) is in the process of reviewing the San Joaquin River (SJR) flow objectives for the protection of fish and wildlife beneficial uses, water quality objectives for the protection of southern delta agricultural beneficial uses, and the program of implementation for those objectives contained in the 2006 Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary (2006 Bay- Delta Plan). Figure 1.1 displays the project area corresponding to SJR flow objectives and program of implementation and Figure 1.2 displays the project area for the southern Delta water quality objectives and program of implementation.

The information and analytical tools described in this report (referred to hereafter as Draft Technical Report or Technical Report) are intended to provide the State Water Board with the scientific information and tools needed to consider potential changes to these objectives and their associated program of implementation. In this quasi-legislative process, State Water Board staff will propose amendments to the SJR flow objectives for the protection of fish and wildlife beneficial uses, southern Delta water quality objectives for the protection of agricultural beneficial uses, and the program of implementation contained in the 2006 Bay-Delta Plan. Also, the environmental impacts of these amendments will be evaluated in a Substitute Environmental Document (SED) in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act. Any changes to water rights consistent with the revised program of implementation will be considered in a subsequent adjudicative proceeding.