Bay Delta Conservation Plan / California WaterFix
EPA is participating in the development of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) / California WaterFix. Exit The Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) was a habitat conservation plan proposed by the California Department of Water Resources, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, and Bureau of Reclamation, under the Endangered Species Act, to address the most critical water issues facing California by constructing new water delivery infrastructure and restoring aquatic habitat. In 2015, the BDCP was recast as the California WaterFix, with a focus on the construction and operation of proposed new water export intakes on the Sacramento River to divert water into a proposed 40 mile twin tunnel conveyance facility.
EPA's role is twofold: first, to review and rate the environmental documentation produced for BDCP / WaterFix under the National Environmental Policy Act, and second, to ensure that any necessary Clean Water Act permits required for the project restore water quality and protect aquatic resources.
Today, the California State Water Project (CVP) and the Central Valley Project (SWP) are operated to comply with permits under the federal and state Endangered Species Acts and Clean Water Acts. The list below contains links to information about these regulatory instruments. These permits would be adjusted or replaced if BDCP is approved and implemented.
- National Marine Fisheries Service CVP and SWP Operations and Criteria Plan (OCAP) Website
- US Fish and Wildlife Service Bay Delta Fish & Wildlife Office
- National Research Council -- Scientific Assessment of Alternatives for Reducing Water Management Effects of Threatened and Endangered Fishes in California's Bay-Delta
- Independent Review of US FWS Biological Opinion effects analysis for the State Water Project and Central Valley Project Operations Criteria and Plan impact on federally threatened species delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) (PDF) (149 pp, 2 MB)
- State Water Resources Control Board Water Rights Decision 1641 (D-1641) Implementation of Water Quality Objectives for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife Water Project Operations Website