CONTRA COSTA COUNCIL DELTA VISION STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES

CONTRA COSTA COUNCIL
DELTA VISION
STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES
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The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is in crisis. The Deltaâs levee system is fragile and
vulnerable to failure from earthquake, floods and other causes. Continued sinking of
Delta islands, as well as sea level rise and increased severity of flooding as a result of
global warming, pose longer term threats. The decline of fisheries and endangered
species indicate the declining health of the estuary. All of these factors threaten the
access of millions of Californians to a reliable supply of high quality water.

The Contra Costa Council believes that any solution developed through the state’s Delta
Vision process must take a comprehensive view of the Delta and consider its numerous
assets, as outlined below. Accordingly, the following principles, taken collectively, will
guide the Council’s advocacy efforts on any proposed actions regarding the Delta.

The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is of vital importance to northern California
and the state as a whole in many ways:

• It influences the physical, social, economic and cultural fabric of the Delta
region, including Contra Costa, Alameda, Solano, Sacramento, San Joaquin, and
Yolo counties.
• It defines our shoreline and serves numerous municipal and industrial intakes.
• It is an essential resource for the State of California. It is home to more than
500,000 people, provides habitat to 700 native species, and contains multiple
strategic highways, pipelines, utility distribution systems, railroads and deep-
water ports serving state and national interests.
• It delivers water to the homes of more than 25 million Californians, agriculture
and businesses and supports a significant recreation industry and fisheries.
• Its water supply and other Delta services support $400 billion in economic
activity.

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Solutions/Actions must meet the following criteria:

Protect public health and safety (death, illness or injury), including the public’s
supply of quality drinking water, against levee failures through:
A coordinated emergency response program
Flood management
Flood routing
Protective land-use policies
A program to retrofit and strengthen strategic elements of the existing levee
system

Provide a reliable supply of high quality water for California:
Ensure that the water supply is safe, clean and of high quality to meet the needs of
California’s residents, farms, commerce and recreation
Provide improvements to fisheries
Ensure the quality of the drinking water derived from the Delta and used as part
of the drinking water supply
Ensure that water supplies derived from the Delta, including water supplies used
or conveyed through the Delta, are reliable by making investments in the Delta
that reduce the conflict between fish and water project operations such as fish
screens at export facilities and modification to Delta channels that reduce fish
densities near water diversion facilities
Ensure that water supplies derived from the Delta are minimally affected by
catastrophic levee failures through a coordinated emergency response program:
Invest in critical western and central Delta levees necessary to protect
beneficial uses and resources of the Delta
Ensure Propositions 84 and 1E bond funding goes to improving Delta
levees, focusing on critical levees that protect water quality and other
Delta levees that protect public health and safety
Strategic stockpiling of emergency repair materials
Develop infrastructure, such as surface and groundwater storage that
increases the ability to manage the Delta with greater flexibility
Encourage water use efficiency by all users of Delta water through conservation
and recycling and other cost-effective means to reduce reliance on the Delta

Protect infrastructure in the Delta
Protect critical infrastructure in the Delta, including highways, pipelines, utility
distribution systems, railroads and deep water ports that serve the interests of the
state by taking actions to avoid catastrophic levee failure
Coordinate strategic infrastructure improvements with other actions, such as levee
repair, to provide cost-effective use of public funds for Delta protection

Protect economic assets of the Delta:
Protect the local, regional and state economic vitality by taking steps outlined
above to avoid catastrophic failure of Delta levees

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Recognize the importance of direct and indirect economic impacts of catastrophic
Delta levee failures, including increased costs of materials and services associated
with levee repairs and emergency response
Protect and enhance recreation and tourism opportunities, including boating,
hunting and fishing that enhance our quality of life

Protect the environmental health of the estuary:
Improve and enhance aquatic and terrestrial habitats and improve ecological
functions in the Bay Delta watersheds to support sustainable native populations of
plant, aquatic and terrestrial species
Actions and remedies must be based on sound science

Develop a regulatory framework that will protect ecosystem health, water quality
and reliability
Identify an independent governmental body with the legal authority and
accountability to regulate and assure applicable water quality and environmental
standards are met in the Delta. Other stakeholders, including appropriate state
and federal agencies, must be participants and held accountable for implementing
needed actions.
Develop a regulatory framework and needed infrastructure, such as storage, to
provide for seasonal fresh water flows through the Delta into San Francisco Bay
that will protect ecosystem health and water quality and improve the ability to
manage the Delta with greater flexibility.
Base actions on sound scientific principles
Develop an equitable cost-sharing formula to fund needed projects and actions
Implement critical initial projects immediately with available funding, while
longer-term actions are being considered.

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A SUMMARY VISION FOR THE DELTA



prepared by the



CONTRA COSTA COUNCIL





The Northern California triangular region, known as the Sacramento-San

Joaquin Delta, between Sacramento, Stockton and the Carquinez Strait is
Chairman of
the Board
Stev

e Lesher
a natural water resource that is important to the quality of life of millions
Public Affairs Manager
Shell Oil Prod ucts U.S.

of people as well as California’s economy. Our vision for the region’s
Board Ch

air Elect
Edward Shaf fer
Shareholder
future includes providing opportunities for a vital regional, state and
Archer Norris

national economy and supporting a sustainable aquatic and terrestrial
Vice Pres

ident – Finance
Mike Billeci
Regional Pr

esident – Greater Bay Area Region
environment that provides a healthy habitat for fish and other wildlife. A
Wells Fargo


strategic action plan for Delta levees is needed to protect essential public
Vice Pres

ident - Events
James Brandt
First Vice Pr
esident-Investments
services, including water supply, transportation, navigation, housing and
UBS Financial Services, Inc.


public utilities. Planning for the Delta must consider varied interests,
Vice Pres

ident – Task Forces
Cheryll LeMay
Contra Cost

a Community College District
including water supply and quality, recreation, agriculture, public

Vice President – Task Forces
George Smith
entities, industry, and the natural environment and other interests. It is
President
GBR Smith Group, LLC
incumbent on all generations to recognize and protect natural, economic

Vice President – Communications
David Bowlby
and recreational assets of the Delta for future generations. A regulatory
President
The Bowlby Group, Inc.
framework must be established that protects ecosystem health, water

Vice President – Member Services
Vicky DeYoung
quality and reliability and produces prompt decisions and action.
Vice President
Cornish & Carey

Attempting to solve one problem without consideration of other assets
Chief Legal Counsel
Peter McGaw
must be avoided. Decisions regarding the Delta must recognize the need
Shareholder
Archer Norris

to protect this vital natural and state resource for all concerned with the
Immediate Past Chair
Peter McGaw
necessary level of public investment, such that current and future
Shareholder
Archer Norris

generations will benefit from the Delta as a sustainable resource for the
President and CEO
Linda Best

people of California.













1355 Willow Way, Ste. 253, Concord, CA 94520 925.246-1880 925.674-1654 fax info@contracostacouncil.com www.contracostacouncil.com

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