Delta Adapts: Creating a Climate Resilient Future
About
Climate changes increase risk to California's water supply, economy, biodiversity, residents, and more. In the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, climate change will decrease water quality, increase stress on species that thrive in the region’s ecosystems, and put more pressure on levees that protect residents, farmland, and public utilities from flooding. There is a critical need for regional adaptation rooted in science-based decision-making to address these impacts and reduce the Delta's vulnerability to climate change.
The Council is leading a two-part climate initiative called “Delta Adapts,” which takes a comprehensive, regional approach to climate resiliency that cuts across regional boundaries and commits to collaboration across State, local, and regional levels. The initiative began with a climate change Vulnerability Assessment for the Delta and Suisun Marsh, published in June 2021. Read this information sheet (lea la hoja informativa del proyecto en español) for a summary of the Delta Adapts initiative and the Vulnerability Assessment.
In November 2024, the Council published a public review draft Adaptation Plan, along with supporting documentation, detailing strategies and actions the Council and its partners can take to adapt to climate change in the Delta. The draft Adaptation Plan was available for a 90-day public review and tribal consultation period, which closed on February 18, 2025. Staff are currently considering all comments received, working towards a final Adaptation Plan expected in Summer 2025.
Read this information sheet for a summary of the strategies included in the draft Adaptation Plan. Lea el resumen ejecutivo en español aquí.
If you are interested in receiving high-level updates on Delta Adapts, please subscribe to receive email announcements from the Council. For any questions, please email climatechange@deltacouncil.ca.gov.
Adaptation Plan Process and Timeline
Developing the Adaptation Plan
The draft Adaptation Plan has been informed by a robust engagement process with diverse interests, findings from the Vulnerability Assessment, and other literature and existing adaptation plans (see graphic below or this information sheet for more details).
Past Accomplishments
Publishing the Vulnerability Assessment
The Council adopted the Delta Adapts Vulnerability Assessment in 2021. The Vulnerability Assessment evaluates the vulnerability of the Delta and Suisun Marsh to climate impacts through the end of the century. Refer to this handout for a summary of key vulnerabilities identified in the Vulnerability Assessment.
- Vulnerability Assessment and supporting appendices
- Flood Hazard Assessment Technical Memorandum
- Water Supply Technical Memorandum
- Ecosystem Technical Memorandum
- Equity Technical Memorandum
- Crop Yield and Agricultural Production Technical Memorandum
- Economic Impact and Exposure Analysis Technical Memorandum
- Outreach and Engagement Summary
- Planning Context for Climate Change in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
As part of the Vulnerability Assessment, the Council created a custom social vulnerability index to identify areas within the Delta that are socially vulnerable to climate change impacts. See the Delta Social Vulnerability Index interactive map for more detail on the factors considered in the index or the identified areas.
The Council also created a flood explorer map which allows users to select various climate scenarios to visualize areas exposed to flooding.
Other resources include:
Background
- The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Reform Act, chaptered in 2009, mandates the consideration of “the future impact of climate change and sea level rise” (Wat. Code, § 85066.) in restoration planning and identifies a restoration timeline horizon of 2100. (Wat. Code, § 85302.) The Act also notes that the Delta Plan may address “the effects of climate change and sea level rise on the three State highways that cross the Delta.” (Wat. Code, § 85307.)
- Executive Order B-30-15, signed by Governor Brown in April 2015, requires State agencies to incorporate climate change into their planning and investment decisions. It also requires agencies’ planning and investment decisions to be guided by prioritizing natural infrastructure and protecting the most vulnerable populations.
- The Delta Plan is California’s roadmap for the region, supporting the coequal goals of a reliable statewide water supply and resilient Delta ecosystem. Research on climate change has advanced significantly since the Delta Plan’s adoption, with important implications for the Council as it seeks to fulfill its mission of furthering the coequal goals, which are sure to be continuously impacted by climate change.
As an agency of experienced planners, engineers, scientists, and communicators, the Council is uniquely equipped – and authorized – to steward the region toward resiliency. The Council has adopted regulations that support statewide water supply reliability and Delta ecosystem resiliency and has the resources needed to guide climate adaptation in the region. Through its strong working relationships with government agencies on the federal, State, regional, and local levels, the Council can influence action in the Delta to improve its resilience over time and communicate the statewide implications of anticipated regional impacts.
The Council’s role in Delta Adapts has three core elements:
- The convener bringing various partners together to work as part of a broader team,
- The initiator of the regional planning process, and
- An active participant collaborating with a robust group of experts and interested partners.