About the Delta Stewardship Council
Our Work
The Delta Stewardship Council was created to advance California’s “coequal goals” for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta – a more reliable statewide water supply and a healthy and protected ecosystem – in a manner that protects and enhances the unique characteristics of the Delta as an evolving place.
To do this, the Act required the Council to develop an enforceable, long-term, sustainable management plan for the Delta to ensure coordinated action at the federal, state, and local levels. The Delta Plan, adopted in 2013, includes both regulatory policies and non-binding recommendations.
Our Role
Implementing the Delta Plan occurs through the Council’s leadership of the Delta Plan Interagency Implementation Committee, ongoing staff-to-staff agency coordination, development of science to support the Delta Plan and related activities, and use of the Council’s regulatory authority over “covered actions” – plans, programs, and/or projects that must be consistent with the Delta Plan.
Part of the Council is the Delta Science Program, charged with providing the best possible unbiased scientific information to inform water and environmental management decisions for the Delta. The Council appoints a lead scientist to oversee the program and the 10 members of the Delta Independent Science Board, which has broad authority to oversee the scientific research, monitoring, and assessment programs that support adaptive management of the Delta.
For a breakdown of the Council’s mission and role, read the following information sheets.
To learn about the Council’s most recent work, subscribe to receive our announcements via email and visit the latest news, annual reports, and blogs web pages.
Our Leaders
The Council is made up of seven members. Of the seven members, four are appointed by the Governor, one each by the Senate and Assembly, and the seventh member is the chair of the Delta Protection Commission.
The Council’s monthly meetings are the definitive place for the public to learn about and comment on the implementation of the Delta Plan. Our public participation web page is a one-stop shop for those seeking information on how to engage with the Council.
Our Chair
Julie Lee has chaired the Council since 2024. Chair Lee was appointed to the Council by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2022 and reappointed in 2026. Her current term expires on February 3, 2030.
Read more about our chair on our Council members web page.
Our Executive Officer
Jessica R. Pearson leads a multidisciplinary team in pursuit of the Council’s mission to achieve the coequal goals and provide the best possible unbiased scientific information to inform water and environmental decision-making in the Delta. Executive Officer Pearson was selected by the Council members as the agency’s executive officer in 2014.
Read more about our leadership on our executive team web page.
Our History
In November 2009, the California Legislature passed the Delta Reform Act (SBX7 1), one of several special-session bills enacted that year related to water supply reliability, ecosystem health, and the Delta. Among other things, the Act created the Delta Stewardship Council, effective on February 3, 2010.
Fifteen years after the Delta Reform Act, the Delta’s three dedicated state agencies – the Delta Stewardship Council, Delta Protection Commission, and Delta Conservancy – reflected on the progress made and the work remaining to protect the heart of California's water system in 15 Years of Progress: Rising to the Challenge of the Delta Reform Act.
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