Conversation Begins on First Draft of Delta Plan

The release of the first staff draft of the Delta Plan on Feb. 14 has set in motion the discussion on the development of the final Delta Plan and the accompanying Environmental Impact Report.

At this week’s meeting, the Delta Stewardship Council will conduct a complete walk-through of the first staff draft focusing on the findings and strategies laid out in the document. In‐depth discussions on the findings, as well as strategy sessions with stakeholders and expert panels, will take place two weeks later at the Council’s workshop meeting on March 10-11.

The staff draft is the first of four drafts that will be released over the next three months before the Plan begins the environmental review process in June. This is just the beginning of the development process and it is expected the final Delta Plan will be considerably different. The final Delta Plan will be released on Jan. 1, 2012 as directed by the Delta Reform Act of 2009. It will be a major step toward furthering the coequal goals that will be used in guiding actions impacting the Delta.
Also at this week’s meeting, the Council will listen to a presentation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA is seeking public comment as it considers actions to address water quality conditions affecting aquatic resources in the Delta. The agency is asking the public to consider broadly whether the EPA should be taking new or different actions under its programs to address recent significant declines in multiple aquatic species in the Bay Delta Estuary...