| SACRAMENTO— Lawmakers from up and down the Central Valley are warning the State Water Resources Control Board not to adopt its proposed Bay-Delta water plan before they know the impact of their policies on water supplies, farms and communities.
In a letter to Chair E. Joaquin Esquivel, lawmakers raised serious concerns regarding the August 2026 Draft Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan, citing critical gaps and unanswered policy questions.
The proposal sets a regulatory pathway based on 55 percent of unimpaired flow on Sacramento and Delta tributaries while leaving important decisions about implementation and water curtailments for later.
“The State Water Board is asking the Valley to accept the consequences before it has finished defining the rules,” said Assembly Republican Leader Alexandra M. Macedo (R-Tulare). “Before Sacramento moves forward, Valley families, farmers and communities deserve to know what this will actually mean for their water.”
The proposal threatens far-reaching, unknown consequences for reservoir storage, water deliveries, groundwater sustainability and economic vitality of rural communities.
Years of negotiations with the federal government may be at risk. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation publicly criticized the State Water Board’s proposal.
“You cannot run a farm, a food processor or a city water system on ‘we’ll figure it out later,’” said Assemblyman Juan Alanis (R-Modesto). “If the state cannot tell Valley communities what this plan will actually do, it is not ready to be adopted.”
State lawmakers urge the State Water Board to pause and address fundamental questions detailing the plan’s precise toll on farmers, families and water supplies.
Read the full letter here:
https://mcusercontent.com/98b5dbaba95f9c1b87e48a252/files/d19448a1-29d7-f7d0-b140-bdaee262c59b/State_Water_Board_re_Bay_Delta_Water_Quality_Control_Plan_9_17_26.pdf |
