San Francisco Bay

CalFed Science Synthesis: Science Issues Related to Delta Conveyance Options for California Water Supply

CALFED | March 1st, 2008

On August 22 and September 11, 2007, the CALFED Science Program convened workshops to identify and discuss key scientific and technical issues pertaining to conveyance of

On August 22 and September 11, 2007, the CALFED Science Program convened workshops to identify and discuss key scientific and technical issues pertaining to conveyance of Sacramento River water through or around the California Delta to the state and federal water project export pumps in the south Delta. The first workshop focused on “isolated” conveyance facilities (such as a peripheral canal or pipeline) while the second workshop focused on through-Delta conveyance facilities (such as existing or proposed through-Delta natural or man-made channels, canals, or sloughs) to convey water. During the series of presentations and discussions by subject-matter experts, several important broad conclusions emerged and are discussed below. The two workshop summaries are attached to this synthesis of key points.

CalFed: Still Imperiled, Still Important

Little Hoover Commission | November 17th, 2005

The Little Hoover Commission on Thursday recommended overhauling how state and federal agencies are managing the massive, multibillion-dollar effort to restore the Bay-De

The Little Hoover Commission on Thursday recommended overhauling how state and federal agencies are managing the massive, multibillion-dollar effort to restore the Bay-Delta estuary. The Commission’s review affirmed the importance of the CALFED Bay-Delta program and the need to fundamentally change how the multi-agency effort is governed. The Commission recommended dissolving the Bay-Delta Authority, which was created in 2003, and creating a stronger management structure that could be held accountable for achieving the program’s four objectives: improving water supply reliability, levee stability, water quality and the ecosystem of the vast, yet fragile Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The Delta supplies water to 22 million Californians, irrigates 5 million acres of farmland and is home to 750 wildlife species. Through CALFED, 24 state and federal agencies were committed to working cooperatively and relying on science and public involvement to improve conditions in the Bay-Delta. But after five years and $3 billion, the Governor and the Legislature have questioned the progress and the ability of the Bay-Delta Authority to lead the effort. The Commission’s review was requested by Governor Schwarzenegger as part of an effort to revitalize CALFED. The Commission concluded that the current structure diffuses authority and fragments responsibility and lacks the focused leadership needed to get adversarial stakeholders and reluctant government agencies to cooperate. “Because of a faulty design, the Bay-Delta Authority cannot effectively coordinate activities, push agencies to perform, or provide rigorous oversight. It is unable to control or cajole,” said Michael E. Alpert, chairman of the Little Hoover Commission. The Commission found that growing disagreements about CALFED’s mission and the role of the Bay-Delta Authority are jeopardizing the critical water supply and restoration effort. The Commission recommended recreating a policy group of public officials, co-chaired by the U.S. Secretary of Interior and the California Secretary of Resources. It recommended deploying performance management techniques to improve progress toward specific goals. And it recommended refinements to the program’s use of a lead scientist and an independent science board to improve decision-making. “The most important factor in CALFED’s success will be leadership,” Alpert said. “One lesson of the last five years is that CALFED will require an amount of political capital and leadership that can only flow from the institution of the Governor.” The Commission’s report includes recommendations for reforming the governance structure of the CALFED program.

Calibration of the Multivariate AZTI Marine Biotic Index (M-AMBI) for Potential Inclusion into California Sediment Quality Objective Assessments in San Francisco Bay

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | April 30th, 2019

Benthic infauna are the most common faunal assemblage used to assess habitat quality across the globe as they demonstrate relatively predictable community-scale changes i

Benthic infauna are the most common faunal assemblage used to assess habitat quality across the globe as they demonstrate relatively predictable community-scale changes in both structure and function when exposed to stress. Due to these characteristics, benthic infauna are used as one of three lines of evidence in California’s Sediment Quality Objectives (CASQO) to assess the impact of toxic chemicals to biotic resources in the State’s enclosed bays and estuaries. The changes in benthic community composition related to disturbance are quantified using benthic assessment indices. 

California Adds 'Delta Tunnel' to List of Possible Water Supply Solutions

New York Times | August 7th, 2009

California officials are studying whether a 35-mile tunnel under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta might help solve some of the state's water supply problems. Teresa

California officials are studying whether a 35-mile tunnel under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta might help solve some of the state's water supply problems. Teresa Engstrom, chief of the delta engineering branch at the California Department of Water Resources, confirmed that the agency is conducting feasibility studies on an "all tunnel" option that would route water under the Bay Delta from rivers and reservoirs to the north of Sacramento to farms in the south.

California against the sea

Los Angeles Times | July 7th, 2019

THE CALIFORNIA COAST GREW AND PROSPERED during a remarkable moment in history when the sea was at its tamest. But the mighty Pacific, unbeknownst to all, was nearing i

THE CALIFORNIA COAST GREW AND PROSPERED during a remarkable moment in history when the sea was at its tamest. But the mighty Pacific, unbeknownst to all, was nearing its final years of a calm but unusual cycle that had lulled dreaming settlers into a false sense of endless summer. Elsewhere, Miami has been drowning, Louisiana shrinking, North Carolina’s beaches disappearing like a time lapse with no ending. While other regions grappled with destructive waves and rising seas, the West Coast for decades was spared by a rare confluence of favorable winds and cooler water. This “sea level rise suppression,” as scientists call it, went largely undetected. Blinded from the consequences of a warming planet, Californians kept building right to the water’s edge. But lines in the sand are meant to shift. In the last 100 years, the sea rose less than 9 inches in California. By the end of this century, the surge could be greater than 9 feet.

California Bay - Delta Authority Fish Mercury Project: The Relationship between Landscape Features and Sport Fish Mercury in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Watershed

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | November 2nd, 2007

The goal of this study was to quantify the relationship between landscape features and mercury in sport fish. We hypothesized that spatial variation in sport fish mercury

The goal of this study was to quantify the relationship between landscape features and mercury in sport fish. We hypothesized that spatial variation in sport fish mercury would most strongly relate to major point sources associated with mining activity, habitat features (e.g., abundance of wetlands), and watershed-scale patterns in mercury deposition from the atmosphere. Geographic information system (GIS) techniques were used to evaluate the influence of these features on the bioaccumulation of mercury in sport fish. In addition, we attempted to determine the most appropriate spatial scale for analysis of these influences. Fish mercury data were selected from a state-wide historical bioaccumulation database, which also included data collected by the Fish Mercury Project (FMP) in 2005. Based on the geographic distribution of the sampling locations, three species common across the study area were chosen for analysis: largemouth bass, channel catfish, and white catfish. For the time interval examined (1990 – 2005), the mean wet weight concentration for each species at a given location was calculated. By superimposing hydrologic flow paths with watershed delineations, we were able to determine flow direction and pathways from upstream sources to downstream habitats. “Fish watersheds” (watershed areas upstream of fish sampling locations) were created for a subset of locations in the CalFed Ecosystem Restoration Program Geographic Scope. Regions heavily influenced by mining within each watershed were also delineated. We examined landscape features in fish watersheds and within close proximity (circular buffers) of fish locations. Using a GIS database, several statistics were derived for each fish watershed area and buffer, including the percent covered by habitat features (vegetated vs. non-vegetated wetlands, permanent vs. temporary inundation), number of gold and mercury mines, total land area (km2), and total length (km) of all streams and rivers. The work presented in this report is the first attempt the authors are aware of to relate landscape features to fish mercury concentrations using GIS on a large regional scale. Fish mercury concentrations appeared to be influenced by many complex and interacting factors that obscured any obvious correlations with atmospheric deposition, historic mining districts, and wetlands at the watershed scale. Some features seemed to have an influence at the proximal-scale (buffer) analyses, namely vegetated wetland and temporarily inundated aquatic habitat. Though these tentative conclusions were based on small sample sizes, they contradicted the prevailing notion that wetlands generally increase methylmercury accumulation in the food web. The lack of clear relationships in the dataset analyzed is probably due to shortcomings in the available data, rather than a true absence of influence of atmospheric deposition, mining, or wetlands on spatial patterns in mercury bioaccumulation. Future attempts to relate landscape features with mercury in the food web at the watershed scale should focus on watersheds with a stronger linkage between landscape features and mercury in fish and fewer confounding factors. Statewide monitoring of sport fish is currently being planned that should provide a better basis for conducting this type of analysis in the future.

California Coastkeeper v. County of Sonoma

Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma | June 21st, 2021

California Department of Water Plan 2023: Navigating Climate Challenges with Equity and Resilience

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | September 20th, 2023

The California Water Plan (Water Plan), updated every five years, is the State’s strategic plan for sustainably and equitably managing, developing, and stewarding water

The California Water Plan (Water Plan), updated every five years, is the State’s strategic plan for sustainably and equitably managing, developing, and stewarding water resources. Required by Water Code Section 10005, the plan presents the status and trends of California’s water-dependent natural resources; water supplies; and agricultural, urban, and environmental water demands for a range of plausible future scenarios.

California Endangered Species Act Incidental Take Permit No. 2081-2023-054-00

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | November 4th, 2024

California Fish and Game, Volume 15

California Fish and Game Commission | January 1st, 1929