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Boaters on the delta in Stockton on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, in Stockton, California. <\/p>\n
Brian van der Brug<\/p>\n
TNS<\/p>\n
A long-awaited Bay-Delta Plan is on track to be ready for adoption this year, with possible refinements still under review \u2014 but with no signs of major changes to the proposal as released in December.<\/p>\n
Eric Oppenheimer, executive director of the State Water Board, on Friday told The Sacramento Bee that the board\u2019s staff is reviewing thousands of public comments, evaluating whether any updates to the proposed plan and supporting environmental analysis are needed before bringing it to the board for a final decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo far, based on what we\u2019ve seen … what we\u2019ll be putting out is refinement to the basin plan amendment language,\u201d Oppenheimer said, noting that the staff has not yet reviewed all comments.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe important distinction here is there will be an opportunity to provide comments on the updated basin planning language when that goes out, but we will not be accepting any new comments on the staff report.\u201d<\/p>\n
While he does not yet have definitive dates for when updated documents will be released, Oppenheimer said the State Water Board is aiming to finish its work in time for the plan to be considered for adoption by the board members in the fall.<\/p>\n
The proposed Bay-Delta Plan has drawn divided reactions from conservation groups and regional water agencies, with last month\u2019s three-day hearing underscoring those tensions.<\/p>\n
Environmental advocates opposed relying on voluntary agreements<\/a> as the plan\u2019s primary pathway, instead pushing for firm, enforceable minimum flow standards, while water agencies continued to support the voluntary approach.<\/a><\/p>\n And though the public comment process for both the staff report and the amendments is now closed, and the agency is not accepting any additional public comments, \u201cwe\u2019re definitely open to meeting with people who want to meet with us,\u201d Oppenheimer continued.<\/p>\n State officials have spent years to update flow and habitat rules for the Sacramento River and Delta. The Sacramento\u2013Delta sections of the Bay-Delta Plan have not seen major changes since the mid-1990s, while the San Joaquin River was last updated in 2018.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n
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