Delta Landscapes Executive Summary

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | December 1st, 2017

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta supplies freshwater to a large portion of California’s cities and agriculture, supports an agricultural economy and culture, and is hom

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta supplies freshwater to a large portion of California’s cities and agriculture, supports an agricultural economy and culture, and is home to native wildlife found nowhere else in the world. This complex region is hampered by many environmental challenges, including an over-allocated water supply, invasive species, water quality problems, novel ecosystems that no longer support desired functions, aging infrastructure, and a complex management structure. Beyond these challenges, sea level rise, other impacts from climate change, and earthquakes pose significant risks to Delta ecosystems, agriculture and water supply. There is general consensus that ecosystem restoration and planning for future resilience needs to take place, within the context of the Delta’s unique culture and economy. Imagining a healthy Delta ecosystem in the future and taking bold, concrete steps toward that future requires an understanding and vision of what that healthy ecosystem could look like. For a place as extensive, unique, and modified as the Delta, critical knowledge can be acquired through the study of the past, investigating the Delta as it existed just prior to the substantial human modifications of the past two centuries. Though the Delta is irrevocably altered, its history is still relevant. Underlying geologic and hydrologic processes still influence the landscape. Native species adapted to live in the historical ecosystems, so restoring functional landscapes that reflect historical patterns can increase the success of restoration efforts.  The Delta Landscapes project investigates the historical ecosystems of the Delta and how they have been modified in the current landscape in order to produce a holistic, aspirational approach to restoration of desired ecological functions. The project goes beyond immediate planning horizons and mandated protection of particular species to explore how restoration of large-scale processes of sediment and water could drive a broad suite of ecological benefits. Restoration or emulation of such processes requires large areas and long time scales. The Delta Landscapes project produced three reports, summarized here, that speak to the past, present, and potential future Delta. The final report, A Delta Renewed, provides a framework for how individual projects planned in the near-term can contribute to a coherent, long-term vision of improving ecosystem function across the Delta. The purpose of this planning framework is to foster more effective and economical restoration of desired functions in a smaller footprint, because each project is contributing to improving a larger system, than could be achieved by projects planned in isolation that each focus on more narrow, varied benefits. The project is purposefully conceived to address only ecological benefits, in the context of a working agricultural landscape with critical water-supply and cultural considerations. The reports can contribute to discussions where social and economic benefits are also evaluated in planning the future Delta landscape. A Delta Renewed User Guide was developed to help different audiences access the information in this report and apply it effectively.  This research was conducted at the request of the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) and the Ecosystem Restoration Program (ERP). 

Delta Levees – Types, Uses, and Policy Options

Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force (Delta Vision) | August 7th, 2008

This document was developed to support Delta Vision discussions on the role of levees in the Delta’s future. It is to clarify the different types (or design standards)

This document was developed to support Delta Vision discussions on the role of levees in the Delta’s future. It is to clarify the different types (or design standards) of levees that now exist for the Delta and what improvements could be considered. It is especially oriented toward an improved understanding of what types of levees are suitable for protecting various land uses or for other applications. Based on understanding the levee types, policy options are identified for a) selecting levee improvements to be included in the vision of the Delta’s future and b) implementing the improvements selected.

Delta Operations for Salmonids and Sturgeon (DOSS) Technical Working Group

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | November 1st, 2018

Delta Reclamation District Financing and Budgets

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | August 16th, 2016

This report explains the financing of the 93 reclamation districts that maintain the Delta’s levees. Reclamation districts’ primary method for raising funds is thr

This report explains the financing of the 93 reclamation districts that maintain the Delta’s levees. Reclamation districts’ primary method for raising funds is through assessments, which are levied on a per-acre basis upon property owners within a district’s boundaries. Assessments are subject to Proposition 218 procedures, and they must be approved by a vote of the affected people. A second financing tool that reclamation districts have is charging fees for services, such as irrigation or drainage services for landowners. In addition to relying on these direct financing tools, reclamation districts can also receive funds from the State or from other entities. According to data from the State Controller’s office, the median Delta reclamation districts have annual budgets of around $370,000, with property assessments serving as the primary source of revenue. Typical assessments in these districts are about $32 per acre. State funding is a supplementary source of revenue for these districts, making up about 30 percent of total revenues. On the expenditure side, more than 80 percent of typical reclamation districts’ expenditures are for “services and supplies,” which includes levee work, but also other expenses. Only 12 Delta reclamation districts have long-term debt, so State funding appears to have been successful in helping Delta reclamation districts avoid overly burdensome debt levels. The State has concentrated its reclamation district funding on certain strategic islands. Ten reclamation districts have received 62 percent of state funding over the past five years. These 10 reclamation districts that receive the most state funding also tend to have much higher property assessment rates compared to other reclamation districts. This suggests that reclamation districts are increasing their assessment rates as the State steps up its funding. Finally, reclamation districts receiving a large amount of state funds also spend much more on services and supplies, even after controlling for the size of the reclamation district. This difference suggests that reclamation districts that are not receiving significant funding from the State are primarily paying for levee maintenance projects rather than undertaking large-scale levee improvement projects.

Delta Region Integrated Flood Management: Key Considerations and Statewide Implications

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | September 1st, 2012

This Background / Reference Memorandum (BRM) presents highlights from flood-related technical, legislative and funding information regarding the Sacramento-San Joaquin De

This Background / Reference Memorandum (BRM) presents highlights from flood-related technical, legislative and funding information regarding the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta), with emphasis on activities by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR). The BRM is intended to provide historical and existing conditions (year 2011) context for DWR’s use in conveying strategies for future investments in integrated flood management in the Delta under a separate document. The State of California has entrusted DWR as the agency with the responsibility for managing water flow through the Delta and for representing State interests in Delta levees. DWR invests in the Delta levee system to protect clear and identifiable State interests, including but not limited to: • Human life, public health, and property within the Delta; • Water quality and water supply for agriculture, ecosystem, and municipal and industrial water users within the Delta and water users outside of the Delta; • Ecosystem protection and enhancement, including protection and recovery of threatened and endangered species; • Critical infrastructure such as highways, railroads, aqueducts, and pumping plants; • Other infrastructure such as transmission lines (electric & petroleum), shipping channels, and public infrastructure (water and wastewater treatment plants); • Agriculture and recreation; and • Cultural, historical, aesthetic, and other values included in “Delta as a place.” State legislation and modifications to the California Water and Public Resources codes have repeatedly demonstrated the State’s interest in preserving the Delta and the importance of Delta levees. The legislation and modifications to the codes have made strong statements about the importance of the Delta, provided direction for the DWR’s levee programs, and provided funding for flood management activities and environmental stewardship in the Delta. This BRM should be considered a reference document. Due to the large number of existing documents on the Delta and its levees, this BRM provides highlights of important material with references to other documents for more detailed information. This base information should be useful when considering modifications to investment strategies for integrated flood management in the Delta.

Delta smelt resiliency strategy

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | July 11th, 2016

The Delta Smelt Resiliency Strategy (Strategy) is a science-based document that has been prepared by the State of California (State) to voluntarily address both immediate

The Delta Smelt Resiliency Strategy (Strategy) is a science-based document that has been prepared by the State of California (State) to voluntarily address both immediate and near-term needs of Delta Smelt, to promote their resiliency to drought conditions as well as future variations in habitat conditions. The Strategy relies on the MAST Report and Conceptual Models (IEP 2015) to articulate a suite of actions that can be implemented in the next few years that are intended to benefit Delta Smelt. Although the feasibility and effectiveness of each action included in the Strategy requires further exploration and study, the Strategy is an aggressive approach to implementing any actions that can be implemented in the near term, can be implemented by the State with minimal involvement of other entities, and have the potential to benefit Delta Smelt. State agencies that could implement this Strategy include Department of Water Resources (DWR), Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW), and Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW). Several of the actions identified in this Strategy could also benefit other species, and coordination across various resource management agencies as appropriate may allow for benefits beyond Delta Smelt. All of the actions will be in compliance with applicable laws, including the Federal Endangered Species Act, California Endangered Species Act, California Environmental Quality Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and the Federal Clean Water Act. The Collaborative Science and Adaptive Management Program (CSAMP) will be used to determine the appropriate research approach to designing and assessing the outcomes of these management actions individually and synergistically. Additionally, it is expected that the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) would participate in the implementation of this Strategy, including providing enhanced outflows in 2016.

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.

Delta Vision Strategic Plan -- from Phil Isenberg, 1939-2023

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.

Delta-Estuary California's Inland Coast A Public Trust Report

California State Lands Commission (SLC) | May 1st, 1991

Department of the Interior Nature-Based Solutions Roadmap

Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability (Duke University) | December 1st, 2023