Delta Conveyance Environmental Review Notice of Preparation Overview

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | January 15th, 2020

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) is pursuing an environmental review process to evaluate a single tunnel option to modernize Delta conveyance under the California

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) is pursuing an environmental review process to evaluate a single tunnel option to modernize Delta conveyance under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The first step in this process is release of a Notice of Preparation (NOP). The NOP informs agencies and the public about the preparation of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and solicits input on the scope and content of the EIR, including information needs, potential project effects and mitigation measures, and possible alternatives to the proposed project. Modernizing Delta conveyance is part of the state’s Water Resilience Portfolio, which describes the framework to address California’s water challenges and support long-term water resilience and ecosystem health.

Delta Conveyance Project Draft Environmental Impact Report Explained

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | July 27th, 2022

The Delta Conveyance Project Draft Environmental Impact Report Explained is a companion to the Delta Conveyance Project’s Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to hel

The Delta Conveyance Project Draft Environmental Impact Report Explained is a companion to the Delta Conveyance Project’s Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to help members of the public better understand the proposed Delta Conveyance Project and the requirements for the Department of Water Resources (DWR) in preparing an EIR under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Although not required by CEQA, this document is intended to acquaint readers with the proposed Delta Conveyance Project and alternatives analyzed in the Draft EIR and provide a short summary of impacts to key resource areas. This document is separate from and not intended to be a substitute or surrogate for the comprehensive summary of the Draft EIR that is being circulated with the Draft EIR. Readers are encouraged to review the Draft EIR Executive Summary and full Draft EIR and provide comments during the public review period.

Delta Conveyance Project Fall 2023

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | September 13th, 2023

Delta Conveyance Project Final Environmental Impact Report

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | December 8th, 2023

Delta Conveyance Project Operations Plan

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | August 23rd, 2024

This document presents a summary of the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP) operations commitments that the Department of Water Resources (DWR) has made for when the DCP becom

This document presents a summary of the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP) operations commitments that the Department of Water Resources (DWR) has made for when the DCP becomes operational.

Delta Conveyance Project Scoping Summary Report

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | July 16th, 2020

This document is the Scoping Summary Report for the Delta Conveyance Project (project). The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) is undertaking an environmental

This document is the Scoping Summary Report for the Delta Conveyance Project (project). The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) is undertaking an environmental review process to evaluate impacts of the project as required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The proposed project would construct and operate new conveyance facilities in the Delta that would add to the existing State Water Project (SWP) infrastructure. New intake facilities as points of diversion would be located in the north Delta along the Sacramento River between Freeport and the confluence with Sutter Slough. The new conveyance facilities would include a tunnel to convey water from the new intakes to the existing Banks Pumping Plant and potentially the federal Jones Pumping Plant in the south Delta. The project underwent a public scoping period of 93 days from January 15, 2020 to April 17, 2020, where DWR accepted public comments on the scope of issues to be considered in the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that will be prepared for the project. Eight scoping meetings were held throughout the state to provide information on the project and gather comments. The scoping period was originally scheduled for a period of 65 days ending on March 20, 2020 but was extended for an additional 28 days in response to stakeholder requests and to accommodate unprecedented circumstances related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. During this period, the public was invited to participate in the earliest phase of the environmental review process and DWR accepted public comments on the proposed project. This Scoping Summary Report provides background on the project, summarizes the environmental review process, describes the purpose of scoping, and discusses specific activities and public outreach efforts undertaken during the public scoping period. It also summarizes comments received during the scoping period and discusses how the scoping comments will be considered during the development of the EIR. Copies of notifications and materials developed during the scoping period are included as appendices to this report, as are copies of all comments received during the scoping process. Supplemental material attached to comment letters is not provided in the appendices but is available upon request. For an index of comments, meeting transcripts and letters, go to the California Department of Water Resources Delta Conveyance page

Delta Conveyance Project: Scoping and CEQA

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | February 10th, 2020

Delta Fish Agreement

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) | December 30th, 1986

On December 30, 1986, the Directors of CDFW and the Department of Water Resources (DWR) signed an agreement to provide for offsetting fishery impacts caused by the divers

On December 30, 1986, the Directors of CDFW and the Department of Water Resources (DWR) signed an agreement to provide for offsetting fishery impacts caused by the diversion of water at the Harvey O. Banks Delta Pumping Plant (Banks), located at the head of the California Aqueduct near Tracy, California. The agreement, currently referred to as the Delta Fish Agreement (DFA or Agreement) (PDF), was previously known as the Delta Pumping Plant Fish Protection Agreement or Four Pumps Agreement because it was adopted as part of the mitigation package to add four additional pumps to Banks during the late 1980’s. Direct losses of Chinook salmon, steelhead, and striped bass are offset or mitigated through the funding and implementation of fish mitigation projects.

Delta Tunnels Aren’t the “Fix” California Needs

San Francisco Baykeeper | May 24th, 2017

The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is in crisis. It is not alarmist to state that the Delta-wide ecosystem—and, by extension, San Francisco Bay is in collapse and t

The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is in crisis. It is not alarmist to state that the Delta-wide ecosystem—and, by extension, San Francisco Bay is in collapse and that its damaged condition may spell doom for many important species and habitats. Scientific evidence has shown that the Delta  is starving for freshwater, with repercussions for the entire estuary. While there are no quick or easy solutions to increase freshwater flows, what is clear is that the Governor’s current proposal, known as WaterFix, would authorize further water diversions from this already crippled system without first establishing a path to recovery and sustainability. WaterFix proposes to build large tunnels to take more freshwater from the Delta without substantially addressing the urgent environmental issues facing these river systems. The tunnels would harm the rivers, harm the Delta, and harm San Francisco Bay.

Delta Vision Strategic Plan

State of California | October 17th, 2008

When it was created by Governor Schwarzenegger’s Executive Order S-17-06 in 2006, the charge of the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force (Task Force) was nothing less th

When it was created by Governor Schwarzenegger’s Executive Order S-17-06 in 2006, the charge of the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force (Task Force) was nothing less than to create a vision to repair the ecological damage to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (Delta), and then prepare a strategic plan which would sustain the Delta in future decades while ensuring a reliable water supply for the two-thirds of California’s population who depend in whole or in part on water from the Delta.