These are not the best of times for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

The center of Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed WaterFix, the Delta suffers from an array of maladies that offer a gloomy prospect for its ecological future and continued role as hub of the state’s water supply.

To remedy some of the issues, the State Water Resources Control Board proposed to increase unimpaired flows on the San Joaquin River from the current 20 percent to a range of 30 percent to 50 percent and new salinity requirements for the southern Delta. These are controversial ideas, as speakers will discuss at the Foundation’s March 23 Executive Briefing.

These recommended actions are part of the State Water Board’s update of its flow standards for the Delta – standards that are designed to promote improved water quality and a better habitat for native fish.

The Natural Resources Defense Council called the proposal “a step in the right direction,” but noted that “it falls short of what the science shows is needed to protect and restore the health of these rivers and their native salmon, the health of the Bay-Delta estuary, and the thousands of fishing jobs that depend on healthy salmon runs.”

Water users are less conciliatory, calling the proposal a “water grab by the state of California, without mitigation or due analysis of impacts.”

Our panel will discuss the State Water Board’s proposal and what it means for the state, environmental and fishery interests, farmers and other water users. Confirmed panelists are:

• Tom Howard,Executive Director, California State Water Resources Control Board
• Jake Wenger, Vice President, Modesto Irrigation District Board of Directors
• Gary Bobker, Director, Rivers and Delta Program, The Bay Institute

Click here for more information about the event.