Senior Water Resource Analyst
Given that the State Water Resources Control Board’s flow proceeding finished yesterday, it is worth highlighting yet another reason why this work is so necessary and timely. As a reminder, the SWRCB is charged with determining the volume and timing of flows in the Bay-Delta necessary to support a healthy ecosystem, including protecting imperiled fisheries. This is no easy task, but a necessary one if we are going to develop a long-term sustainable solution for the Delta.
Indeed, the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) process, has struggled with this question since it started back in 2006. The challenge in the BDCP has been the inevitable difficulty of attempting to develop a plan that simultaneously provides water supply reliability and contributes to the recovery of species, such as salmon. While we have a somewhat clear idea as to the water supply goals we do not yet have agreement about the level of flows necessary for species recovery. The State Board's current task is narrow because it is charged with determining what the Bay-Delta ecosystem needs without – at this time – addressing water supply impacts. This does not make its work task any easier, but makes very clear what question must be answered.
Once the State Board has completed its work this August, their flow recommendations will provide critical and necessary guidance for the BDCP, which is scheduled to have a draft plan completed by the end of 2010. This will provide the BDCP with a solid foundation of scientifically credible freshwater flows to support a healthy ecosystem, a starting point to determine the level of water supply reliability that can be achieved without jeopardizing species.
Without these flow recommendations from the State Board, it is highly likely that the BDCP would continue to spin its wheels and delay the completion of a final plan – further jeopardizing the long term sustainability of the Delta as well as the fisheries, farms and cities that depend on it.