Interim Federal Action Plan 

for the California Bay-Delta

December 22, 2009
2

Introduction

On September 29, 2009, six Federal agencies – the Department of the Interior (DOI), 

Department of Commerce, Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of the Army, 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Council on Environmental Quality – signed the 

California Bay-Delta Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU established a Federal 

Leadership Committee to coordinate the Federal response to the California water crisis and to 

facilitate a partnership with the State of California in addressing California’s water supply and 

environmental challenges. The MOU also committed the Federal agencies to develop an 

Interim Action Plan on an expedited basis. 

The MOU reflects the latest manifestation of the Administration’s ongoing effort to address 

California’s water issues in an aggressive and coordinated fashion. The Administration is giving 

priority attention to these issues because the Sacramento/San Joaquin River Delta-San 

Francisco Bay Estuary (Bay-Delta) is among the most important estuary ecosystems in the 

nation. The Bay-Delta is the hub of the nation’s largest water delivery system, providing 

drinking water to 25 million Californians. The ecosystem sustains about $400 billion of annual 

economic activity, including a $28 billion agricultural industry and a robust set of recreational 

opportunities.1

The Bay-Delta is in crisis. After decades of steep and steady decline, the ecosystem has reached 

a point of collapse, with some imperiled fish species at all-time low population levels and 

threats from climate change and associated sea-level rise, seismic risks, and other stressors –

such as pesticides, pollutant discharges, and invasive species – underscoring the system’s 

vulnerability. California has experienced three consecutive years of drought during which 

annual reservoir recharge has been only one-half to two-thirds of average.

Until recently, it has supported a thriving commercial and recreational fishing 

industry that normally contributes hundreds of millions of dollars annually to the California 

economy. The Bay-Delta is home to 55 species of fish and 750 species of plants and wildlife.

2

 As a result, water 

supply managers are facing the potential of a fourth consecutive dry year with low reservoir 

levels, and both agricultural and urban water customers are being asked to make significant 

reductions in water use. Fisheries also continue to reflect the damaging effects of drought on 

top of many decades of environmental degradation of the Bay-Delta. The commercial fishing 

season continues its third year of painful restrictions, including the closure of the commercial 

salmon fishery. The State of California estimates that the fishery closure in 2009 alone caused 

the loss of 2,690 jobs and led to an economic loss of $279 million.3

 1 Fact Sheet, Office of the Governor, State of California, http://www.gov.ca.gov/index.php?/fact-sheet/6969/; 

News Release No. 03-083, California Department of Food and Agriculture, http://www.cdfa.ca.gov.

2 “California Drought: Hydrological and Regulatory Water Supply Issues,” Congressional Research Service (Dec. 7, 

2009), p.1.

3 April 21, 2009, Proclamation by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, “State of Emergency – Chinook Salmon.”
3

The economic impacts of this crisis on the people of California have been severe, particularly in 

the Central Valley, which is among the lowest income regions of California. Already high as a 

result of the housing and economic crisis, unemployment in the Central Valley has increased as 

a result of the region’s severe drought conditions, water use restrictions, and other complex 

factors. Both farmers and cities are facing continued uncertainty in their future water supplies. 

It has become apparent that the State’s water infrastructure, built many decades ago by the 

State and Federal governments to serve half the population it does today, is a system under 

considerable strain. With California’s population expected to increase by another 20 million by 

2050, it is imperative that everyone – the State, the Federal Government, local governments, 

farmers, urban residents, and all Californians – share responsibility for addressing this crisis and 

building a sustainable water future.

In the context of a broader effort to promote the restoration of important ecosystems 

nationwide (such as the Chesapeake Bay, Everglades, and Great Lakes), the Obama 

Administration has taken swift and wide-ranging action to move California water issues from 

the back burner to the forefront of Federal attention during 2009. The Federal Government has 

invested more than $1 billion this year in addressing California’s water needs. It has initiated 

independent review of the scientific issues associated with the continuing decline of Bay-Delta 

endangered and threatened species. It has expedited and expanded voluntary water transfers 

in the Central Valley to aid drought-stricken water districts. And it has dedicated more than 

$40 million toward immediate drought relief projects. After several years of being on the 

sidelines, the Administration is working in close partnership with the State of California to 

develop both short-term actions and a long-term strategy for providing a sustainable water 

supply and successful ecosystem restoration. 

The Interim Federal Action Plan 

This Interim Federal Action Plan (Interim Action Plan) has been developed to further the goals 

of the MOU entered into by six Federal agencies on September 29, 2009. The MOU sets out the 

Administration’s vision of a healthy and sustainable Bay-Delta ecosystem that provides for a 

high-quality, reliable, and sustainable long-term water supply for California, and restores the 

environmental integrity and sustainability of the Bay-Delta ecosystem. As noted above, the 

MOU formally establishes the Bay-Delta Federal Leadership Committee to coordinate Federal

efforts related to California’s ongoing water crisis, and it specifically provides for the 

expeditious development of this Interim Action Plan.

With this Interim Action Plan, the Federal agencies are describing in a single document a variety 

of Federal actions and investments that the Administration is undertaking in a coordinated 

fashion to help address California’s current water supply and ecological crises. The Federal 

Leadership Committee will be actively monitoring short, mid-term and long-term needs and 

developments. This Interim Action Plan will be subject to ongoing review and revision as 

circumstances warrant.
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Commitment to Work Closely With the State of California and Local Authorities

The most important aspect of the Interim Action Plan is the Federal Government’s 

reaffirmation of its partnership with the State of California and local authorities, and its 

commitment to coordinate its actions with those of the State and local authorities. The 

Administration recognizes that the State of California bears the primary responsibility to 

address water needs in the State, and that many of the actions that must be taken to balance 

water supply and demand, and to restore environmental damage lie in the hands of State and 

local authorities. In that regard, we applaud the ongoing leadership that the Governor and the 

State legislature have demonstrated in ensuring a sustainable water supply and a healthy BayDelta ecosystem. In particular, the State has engaged in a series of long-term, stakeholderdriven planning efforts during the last several years, from the Delta Vision process to the BayDelta Conservation Plan (BDCP). The Governor and the California legislature also recently 

enacted a comprehensive package of water reforms that codifies the State’s commitment to 

pursue enhanced water supply reliability and ecosystem restoration as co-equal goals. This 

Interim Action Plan embraces the pursuit of the co-equal goals that are now codified in State 

law: “providing a more reliable water supply for California and protecting, restoring, and 

enhancing the Delta ecosystem.”4

This Interim Action Plan focuses primarily on a set of immediate near-term actions that 

complement the longer term planning processes already underway in California. Most 

important in that regard, as discussed further below, Federal agencies are eager to support the 

State of California’s recently enacted water legislation, including its support for the BDCP 

process and its commitment to develop a new Delta plan pursuant to recently enacted State 

law. As these efforts develop, Federal agencies will continually reevaluate their priorities and 

actions to help ensure synergies between Federal, State, and local activities and to leverage 

resources. 

Promoting Science-Based Decisions

In addition to emphasizing the Federal commitment to work closely with the State of California 

on these issues, this Interim Action Plan reflects a Federal commitment to relying on sciencebased decisions in developing and implementing solutions for diverse Bay-Delta challenges, 

including water supply, ecosystem restoration, flood risk management, and drought relief. 

Federal agencies recognize that a variety of stressors have contributed to the current ecological 

and water supply crisis. They also recognize that a holistic, watershed-scale approach is critical 

for effectively addressing the impacts of these stressors. As manifested in this Interim Action 

Plan, Federal agencies believe that they must target their resources toward the full set of 

factors affecting the Bay-Delta system in order to see tangible improvements in water supply 

and ecosystem health.

 4 SBX7 1 (Simitian/Steinberg), signed into law on November 12, 2009), amending Cal. Pub. Res. Code Section 

29702.
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Promoting high-quality science will help ensure that decisions are not made on the basis of 

incomplete or speculative scientific analysis, which can lead to continued stakeholder conflict 

rather than sustainable science-based solutions. High-quality scientific information can help 

agencies and stakeholders understand the current status of the system, the causes of its 

decline, and the probable effects of alternative actions and policy choices.

This emphasis on science-based decisions permeates this Interim Action Plan and is a significant 

component of each of the agencies’ key actions. Enhancing our scientific understanding 

through research activities in each of these areas – and making decisions based on this 

enhanced understanding – will ensure that Federal agencies are most effective in promoting a 

sustainable long-term future for the Bay-Delta. 

Ensuring Effective Performance

Federal agencies recognize and expect that their enhanced focus on Bay-Delta restoration and 

reliable water supply will translate into concrete, measurable, and timely results. Toward this 

end, this Interim Action Plan includes a list of specific actions that are designed to yield 

meaningful, quantitative results wherever possible. To gauge the success of specific initiatives 

in this Interim Action Plan – and to define the success of Federal activities overall – the agencies 

will develop clear and concrete milestones and measures of success. 

Federal agencies recognize that this Interim Action Plan represents only one step in the Federal

Government’s renewed commitment to the Bay-Delta after a long period of relative 

detachment, and that this plan will require periodic re-evaluation and revision to be effective. 

Federal agencies will carefully monitor progress under this Interim Action Plan, gauge the 

success of existing efforts, and realign, curtail, or cancel projects not achieving results. 

Additionally, as Federal, State, and local priorities change and long-term planning processes 

under the BDCP and California’s new legislative package move ahead, the Interim Action Plan

and its actions will be revised to fit these evolving priorities.

On November 5, 2009, President Obama published a memorandum in the Federal Register that 

recognizes the unique legal and political relationship between the United States and Indian 

tribal governments, and that commits Federal agencies to meaningful consultation and 

collaboration with tribal officials. Consistent with this memorandum, Federal agencies 

recognize the need to coordinate and consult with tribal governments as agencies work to 

implement this Interim Action Plan. 

Organization of this Interim Federal Action Plan

This Interim Action Plan organizes the set of Federal actions into four interconnected priorities. 

These priorities cut across and coordinate among the program- or issue-specific “stovepipes” 

common to the Federal Government, emphasizing agencies’ enhanced commitment to 

collaborative and interdisciplinary solutions both among Federal agencies and with State and 
6

local authorities. Achieving meaningful results will require effective integration and 

prioritization of programs and resources across Federal and State agencies and with affected 

stakeholders. 

Federal priorities are as follows:

First, agencies will work in concert with the State of California and local authorities in 

producing the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) and in developing joint planning 

activities with the State.

Second, agencies will work together to encourage the smarter supply and use of Bay-Delta 

water. Agencies will facilitate permitting and construction of the Delta-Mendota and 

California Aqueduct Intertie, enhance water transfers, implement scientific evaluation of 

turbidity and Delta smelt, conduct independent scientific reviews of the impact of Bay-Delta 

biological opinions, intensify and align Federal water conservation efforts with those of the 

State and affected communities, and support water efficiency and conservation in 

agriculture. 

Third, agencies will work together on programs and projects to ensure healthy Bay-Delta 

ecosystems and improve water quality. Recognizing that Delta restoration will require a 

robust watershed approach, agencies will investigate and mitigate other stressors affecting 

Bay-Delta species, accelerate construction and upgrade of species restoration facilities, 

advance ecosystem restoration projects, prioritize projects that reduce fish-water supply 

interactions, address climate change, and diversify water supply for refuges.

Fourth, agencies will work together to help deliver drought relief services and ensure 

integrated flood risk management, including providing statutorily authorized drought relief 

programs and drought management tools for farmers, and developing more holistic plans 

for stabilizing existing flood control infrastructure and managing flood risk.

To implement these priorities, Federal agencies have targeted their resources toward a narrow 

set of ongoing, newly focused, and/or new initiatives. Several of these projects will yield 

tangible results soon, and several others will enhance our knowledge of the system in order to 

inform longer term decision-making. Highlighting a select number of these ongoing initiatives 

in this Interim Action Plan reaffirms their continued importance and reinforces agencies’ 

commitment to getting the job done. The emerging or re-focused issues and initiatives 

included in this Interim Action Plan represent new efforts or priorities that will be launched as 

expeditiously as possible by Federal agencies to help address California’s water crisis. 

The actions and recommendations included in this Interim Action Plan represent those that the

Federal Leadership Committee and its agencies currently propose to undertake with projected 

resources. The Committee has committed to using existing resources to begin implementation 

of this strategy wherever possible. Funds from other activities may be used to support these 

high-priority activities as available. The President’s Budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 is currently 

under development and will be released in February 2010. The completion of the FY 2011 
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President’s Budget will help to inform the implementation of actions contained in this Interim 

Action Plan. In addition, the House of Representatives recently passed legislation that, if 

enacted, would impact activities that could be undertaken by the Federal Agencies.

This Interim Action Plan is not a final agency action subject to judicial review, nor is it 

considered a rule. Nothing in this Interim Action Plan is meant to, or in fact does, affect the 

substantive or legal rights of third parties or bind the Federal agencies.

I. Work in Close Partnership with the State of California and 

Local Authorities to Ensure Smarter Water Use and Restore 

Healthy Ecosystems

A. Revitalize Federal-State-Local Partnership in Development of the Bay-Delta 

Conservation Plan 

Federal agencies are committed to and will bolster their active participation in partnership 

with the State and local authorities in the collaborative, long-term Bay-Delta Conservation 

Plan (BDCP) process. Federal agencies recognize the importance of cooperating closely with 

their State and local counterparts in addressing Bay-Delta issues. The BDCP is a collaborative 

process among diverse stakeholders that is intended to produce a science-based, long-term 

plan. It is the most significant effort currently under way to address the long-term critical water 

issues facing California. The BDCP intends to identify a set of water flow and habitat restoration 

actions to contribute to the recovery of endangered and sensitive species and their habitats in 

the Bay-Delta, thereby providing for both species/habitat protection and improved reliability 

and flexibility in water supply, while ensuring the vitality of communities and agriculture. 

Federal agencies are fully committed to the BDCP process and will more fully engage in it in 

order to help set a long-term path for reliable water supply, habitat restoration, and response 

to the Delta’s non-water-supply stressors. They will dedicate resources to develop and process 

the documents needed to expeditiously move the plan forward, including the draft of the plan 

itself, the associated Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), and permits under the Federal 

Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Clean Water Act that comply with the provisions of these 

Federal laws. 

B. Develop a Near-Term Coordinated Federal-State Plan to Help Implement Key 

Aspects of California’s Recently Enacted Water Legislation 

Federal agencies will work in partnership with California authorities to help implement key 

aspects of the State’s new water legislation. As noted above, the California legislature 

recently passed, and the Governor signed, a comprehensive package of water reforms that 
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addresses many of the underlying challenges facing this ecosystem. In particular, the legislation 

created a Delta Stewardship Council, established new State-wide water conservation targets, 

and called for improved groundwater monitoring and increased enforcement of illegal water 

diversions. The legislation also provides for a more comprehensive Delta Plan that furthers the 

co-equal goals of providing a more reliable water supply and protecting, restoring, and 

enhancing the Delta ecosystem. Federal agencies are reviewing this recently enacted California 

legislation to better understand where it can partner with the State of California to coordinate 

its restoration efforts. 

As the State of California begins to implement this new legislation, Federal agencies will work in 

close partnership with their State counterparts to identify joint priorities and opportunities for 

more robust collaboration. These priorities and opportunities will be embodied in a 

Coordinated Federal-State Work Plan on California water issues to be developed by February 

2010. The Coordinated Federal-State Work Plan will focus on near-term actions to be taken 

during 2010 and will complement this Interim Action Plan and add specificity to several actions 

described herein. The Coordinated Federal-State Work Plan will also address Federal

involvement in aspects of the recently enacted California legislation, including the Delta 

Stewardship Council, the to-be-developed Delta Plan and its BDCP foundation, and the habitat 

restoration provisions of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy’s Strategic Plan. 

Federal agencies also recognize the need to work closely with the State and local authorities in 

developing mid- and longer term infrastructure options that can potentially address the chronic 

conflicts that led the Delta Vision report commissioned by the Governor to conclude that 

current water supply strategies are unsustainable in the face of Bay-Delta ecosystem collapse, 

climate change impacts, and seismic risks.

II. Encourage Smarter Supply and Use of Bay-Delta Water

A. Expedite Permitting and Construction of the Delta-Mendota and California 

Aqueduct Intertie Project

In an effort to further improve water supply in this shared Federal-State water system, 

Federal agencies will expeditiously complete permitting and construction of the DeltaMendota and California Aqueduct Intertie Project. As proposed, the Intertie would further the 

Federal-State partnership in water operations by connecting the Delta-Mendota Canal (DMC) 

and the California Aqueduct via a new pipeline and pumping plant. This action would address

DMC conveyance conditions that presently restrict full use of the C.W. “Bill” Jones Pumping 

Plant, which is the primary Federal water delivery facility that provides water to Central Valley 

Project (CVP) contractors south of the Bay-Delta. 

The Intertie will allow for maintenance and repair activities that are less disruptive to water 

deliveries, provide the flexibility to respond to CVP and State Water Project (SWP) emergencies, 
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and potentially restore as much as 35,000 acre-feet of average annual supply to the CVP. The 

Intertie project is currently undergoing expedited environmental review by the Bureau of 

Reclamation (Reclamation) and other agencies. In December 2009, the Record of Decision 

(ROD) for the Intertie will be signed. Construction will likely commence in June 2010 and be 

completed by October 2011.

B. Enhance Water Transfers for Improved Water Supply

In an effort to use existing water supplies in the smartest and most efficient ways possible,

voluntary water transfers and efficiency improvements in operating the CVP and SWP will play 

an increasingly important role. In 2009, Reclamation and other Federal agencies (including, in 

particular, the US Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service 

(NMFS)), working with the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), facilitated the 

transfer of over 600,000 acre-feet of water by and among CVP contractors and users of SWP 

water to ensure water was available to the highest-priority users. 

Federal agencies are committed to building on the record-breaking transfer activity that they

facilitated in 2009. Toward that end, Federal agencies will work with DWR to continue to 

devote priority attention to willing-buyer, willing-seller water transfers to help move water to 

areas that need it most. In 2010 and beyond, Federal agencies and DWR are developing a twoyear water transfer program based in part on the 2009 Drought Water Bank. In 2012, the 

agencies are pursuing a ten-year Programmatic Water Transfer Program, which is intended to 

improve the environmental review associated with potential transfers in order to expedite the 

ability of the water market to meet outstanding needs in future years, consistent with the 

environmental provisions of applicable laws and the parameters and guidelines set forth in the 

Central Valley Project Improvement Act. 

This effort will involve close coordination among Federal, State, and local water and wildlife 

managers to move the transferred water within available pumping periods to areas where the 

water is most needed. Also, to facilitate improved planning, Reclamation has issued 

rescheduling guidelines that will allow water contractors south of the Bay-Delta to carry-over 

stored water for use in 2010. Finally, Reclamation will work with DWR and other relevant 

entities to evaluate the need for a consolidated place of use permit from the State Water 

Resources Control Board (SWRCB) to better facilitate transfers. Under existing water rights 

permits, the application of CVP water is limited to geographic areas known as “places of use.” 

The same applies to the SWP’s permit. To facilitate water transfers in 2010, Reclamation and 

DWR propose to petition the SWRCB to allow for a merging of the combined CVP and SWP 

places of use, thereby allowing CVP water to be delivered to SWP areas and for SWP water to 

be delivered to CVP areas. 

The specific goal for 2010 is to facilitate and expedite transfers of water between willing sellers 

and buyers. Reclamation is cooperating with DWR to obtain programmatic environmental 
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documentation that will cover north-to-south transfers for the 2010 water year. Consistent 

with current practices, Reclamation also will work to allow use of CVP facilities (via Warren Act 

contracts) to convey and store non-CVP water.

C. Implement the Scientific Evaluation Called for in the 2-Gates Project on an 

Expedited Basis 

1) 2-Gates Fish Protection Demonstration Project: In an effort to better inform water supply 

decisions and improve water operations, Federal agencies have been pursuing a 

demonstration project related to the movement of delta smelt. This project was proposed 

as a scientific experiment to test the hypotheses that delta smelt follow turbidity and that 

smelt entrainment at the pumps could be prevented by keeping turbid water away from the 

pumps. The project called for the mounting of gate structures on barges and then the 

installation of such structures at Old River and Connection Slough. Once in place, the gates 

would be operated to reduce turbidity near the State and Federal pumps, and an evaluation 

could then be made of whether turbidity is, in fact, an accurate predictor of the presence of 

smelt. If such a correlation were established, the new information potentially could be used 

to allow for higher pumping levels during periods of clear water near the pumps.

Federal agencies have undertaken intensive review and permitting efforts on this project in 

recent months. As the reviews have proceeded, it has become clear that the project 

purpose could most expeditiously be advanced by first proving (or disproving) the 

underlying hypothesis that must be established for the 2-Gates project to be effective as a 

potential water supply enhancement. Indeed, if the hypothesis that smelt move with turbid 

waters can be demonstrated in the field, it may be possible to adjust pumping rates without 

the physical installation of the gates (for example, by increasing pumping rates during clear 

water periods). 

These developments spurred the Federal agencies, through the U.S. Geological Survey 

(USGS), to immediately undertake and implement a new project (described below) to 

evaluate the smelt-turbidity relationship, with the hope that the project can provide 

information more quickly than waiting for the installation of the 2-Gates project. 

2) Accelerated Field Study of a Potential Smelt-Turbidity Relationship: The delta smelt 

Biological Opinion (BO) issued by FWS contains provisions prescribing a range of flow 

limitations that affect water exports from the Delta pumps. The flow limitations and levels 

at which the pumps may operate are to be determined by the interagency Smelt Working 

Group in consideration of hydrologic conditions and potential entrainment of the species at 

the pumps. USGS scientists, working together with other Federal and State agency 

scientists and independent scientists from UC Davis, have been working intensively over the 

last few months to implement a new project that will gather field-based data to evaluate a 

potential relationship between delta smelt and turbidity. The first phase of the project has 
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been implemented and included the installation of 14 real-time turbidity sensors in the 

Delta. These sensors now record and feed real-time turbidity measurements into a central 

location where they can be accessed for use in connection with water supply decisionmaking. 

In the second phase of the study, USGS and partners will coordinate and oversee a pilot 

smelt sampling project before, during, and after major turbidity events that will help 

provide information on the location of delta smelt, the relationship between smelt and 

turbidity, and other factors relevant to smelt location, behavior, and movement. If the 

results of this USGS-coordinated project demonstrate that smelt tend to move with turbid 

waters, this new information could inform decision-making regarding allowable pumping 

during periods when the newly-installed sensors indicate that turbid waters will not be 

drawn into the pumps. The project results also may provide information about whether it 

would be a cost-effective strategy to install physical gates to attempt to diminish the 

interaction between turbid waters and the pumps and, if so, what the optimal location of 

such gates might be. 

USGS anticipates that this study will be the initial step in an ongoing, long-term scientific 

effort to work with the Interagency Ecological Program (IEP) for the San Francisco Estuary, 

the CALFED Science Program (which will become the Delta Science Program), and other 

State and Federal partners to conduct comprehensive research to provide critical 

understandings about the relationship between water conditions and smelt movement. In 

future years, such research could yield new knowledge needed for water and fish 

management. Elements of the proposed work include turbidity/sediment models, 

hydrodynamic models, delta smelt life-cycle population modeling, integration of the 

physical and ecological models, and science for optimal multi-species management.

D. Assist the National Academy of Sciences in Its Review of the Potential 

Availability of Alternative Water Supply Opportunities

DOI and the Department of Commerce are sponsoring a scientific review that is being 

conducted by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to provide an independent scientific 

evaluation of the relationship between Bay-Delta endangered species and water supply from 

the Delta. 

The first phase of the NAS review will explore the potential for scientifically supportable 

alternatives that would lessen impacts to water supply while providing a level of protection to 

relevant fish species and their designated critical habitats equal to or greater than the 

protection currently provided. This analysis by NAS is expected by March 15, 2010. Federal 

agencies are preparing materials to assist the NAS panel in undertaking this important analysis. 

Agencies are committed to working cooperatively with the NAS as it explores, on an expedited 
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basis, whether alternative strategies can be employed in this water year to meet the dual goals 

of water supply and endangered species protection. 

E. Strengthen Federal Water Conservation Efforts

Federal agencies will align their water conservation programs and focus efforts to help reduce 

demand in targeted regions. One of the most important features of the recently enacted State 

legislation is the adoption of State-wide conservation strategies as a part of a comprehensive 

water supply plan for California’s future. 

The Federal agencies embrace California’s commitment to water conservation and, through this 

Interim Action Plan, commit to provide Federal support for the conservation effort. Federal 

agencies also recognize the importance of taking a holistic view of the San Joaquin and 

Sacramento River Basins and the critical role that private and public lands play in the health of 

the ecosystem. In particular, acting through a variety of programs operated by the Bureau of 

Reclamation, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and EPA, Federal agencies

will coordinate the funding that they are providing through cost-shared financial and technical 

assistance to the State, agricultural entities and municipal water agencies for water 

management improvements and to accelerate implementation of conservation activities. The 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) also has ongoing water conservation work underway at a 

project level. 

As part of the Federal agencies’ reinvigorated focus on the Bay-Delta, they will work to 

expeditiously align their project planning, conservation, and project operations activities to 

leverage limited resources and to maximize benefits of water conservation in areas served by 

the CVP and SWP. Working closely with State and local partners, this Federal partnership will 

address both agricultural and municipal water use, assist the regions most affected by the 

drought and regulatory restrictions on pumping, and help the State meet its recently legislated 

goals of reducing urban water use 20% by 2020 while continuing to improve agricultural wateruse efficiencies across the State.

More specifically, agencies will:

• Host a roundtable in February 2010 with State and local agencies (including SWRCB, 

DWR and the Department of Public Health) to explore tangible opportunities to further 

align implementation and Federal-State funding priorities for water recycling and 

conservation efforts;

• By April 2010, work with the State and local authorities to initiate joint planning studies 

and demonstration projects in 5 targeted regions served by the CVP and SWP;

• Build upon the joint USDA-DOI “Bridging the Headgate” initiative to provide 

conservation assistance to irrigation districts; 

• Strategically identify areas most amenable for accelerated planning assistance; 
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• Enhance data availability for improved agricultural water decision-making, including 

the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Seven-Day 

Evapotranspiration Project, a cooperative initiative with the State and UC Davis on 

providing forecasts that ensure more effective planning for future fresh water use;

• Focus voluntary, on-farm efforts directed toward water conservation, sediment 

reduction, invasive species control, pesticide reduction, and wildlife habitat 

improvement; and

• Improve and protect the health of the Sacramento and San Joaquin River headwaters 

and surrounding forest lands by restoring resiliency of forests to reduce the threats of 

catastrophic fire and by increasing water storage capacity and the attenuation of flows 

through wet meadow restoration in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Mendocino 

National Forest, and Sierra National Forest.

F. Support Water Efficiency and Conservation in Agriculture

Through permanent statutory authority, USDA provides farmers and ranchers with financial and 

technical assistance to adopt water efficiency and conservation practices. These practices help 

producers stretch limited available water to bring in a crop, or help maintain the life of 

permanent orchards, vineyards and pasture. These projects include drip irrigation systems, 

irrigation water management, pruning, and stock water distribution systems.

During 2009, the 30-county Bay-Delta region has received $28.3 million in financial assistance 

through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Wetlands Reserve Program, 

and the Agricultural Watershed Enhancement Program for undertaking a mix of voluntary onfarm conservation and water use efficiency projects. USDA provided $1.3 million from October 

2008 to September 2009 in 13 Bay-Delta counties through the Cooperative Conservation 

Partnership Initiative (CCPI), which leverages resources of partners – Tribes, local governments, 

nongovernmental organizations, and producer organizations – to provide financial and 

technical assistance for conservation programs. 

In 2010, USDA anticipates building upon its programs in 2009 by:

• Providing similarly robust conservation and water efficiency funding and programs; and

• Doubling participation rates of agricultural producers in the Bay-Delta region in the 

Wetland Reserve Program, Wetland Reserve Enhancement Program, and Wildlife 

Habitat Incentives Program. 
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III. Work in a Focused and Expedited Manner to Address the 

Degraded Bay-Delta Ecosystem

A. Investigate and Mitigate Stressors Affecting Bay-Delta Species

Federal agencies will target their efforts to investigate and mitigate the impacts of stressors 

on imperiled native species and the Bay-Delta ecosystem. Water quality in the Delta and its 

tributaries is impaired, contributing to the ecological and water supply crisis in the Bay-Delta. 

While there is no question that pumping operations in the Bay-Delta are negatively impacting 

listed species, many other factors are contributing to the estuary’s water quality degradation, 

including agricultural runoff, aquatic pesticides, urban stormwater and wastewater, legacy 

mercury from upstream historic mine sites, and non-native species introduced via ballast water 

and other routes. To address these other stressors, Federal agencies will do the following:

1) NAS Review: NAS has committed to help evaluate the potential impacts that other 

stressors, including pesticides, discharges of urban pollutants (including ammonia), and 

invasive species, may be having on endangered species in the Bay-Delta. Federal agencies 

will work closely with NAS and supply the review panel with all relevant information that 

may be useful to its review of these important issues. 

2) Water Quality: EPA will assess the effectiveness of the current regulatory mechanisms 

designed to protect water quality in the Delta and its tributaries, including standards for 

toxics, nutrients, and estuarine habitat protection.

This assessment will be designed in consultation with the SWRCB and the Central Valley 

Regional Water Quality Control Board (CVRWQCB). In July 2008, these Water Boards 

adopted a Strategic Workplan for guiding their Bay-Delta activities.5 EPA will continue to 

support many of the significant activities in that Workplan through technical and financial 

assistance. Over the next several years, the State anticipates multiple point-source permit 

renewals, new State standards for the Southern Delta and lower San Joaquin River, and 

Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for pesticides in the Central Valley and mercury in 

the Delta. EPA’s assessment will complement these ongoing State activities as well as 

new requirements in the recent California legislation.

EPA will work with the State Board in issuing an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 

(ANPR) to solicit public input on the array of water quality stressors and approaches to 

better protect water quality for all beneficial uses, including the interactive/additive 

effects of various stressors, which are difficult to address under the current regulatory 

 5 http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/bay_delta/strategic_plan/docs/ 

baydelta_workplan_final.pdf
15

framework. EPA will evaluate and synthesize the input received to assist California 

regulators as they consider amending water quality standards and requirements. As part 

of this effort, EPA will work with the Water Boards to consider whether permitted point 

and nonpoint source dischargers are imposing unacceptable stresses on aquatic resources 

and, if so, what additional controls are appropriate. EPA will collaborate with NAS as this 

assessment proceeds. 

3) Water Quality Monitoring: EPA will work with other State and Federal agencies to 

establish a comprehensive water quality monitoring and assessment program in the Delta 

and its tributaries. Significant water quality monitoring is being done in the Delta 

watershed, but the efforts are fragmented. Information is being collected in incompatible 

formats, and there is no systematic attempt to analyze or effectively use the information. 

EPA and DOI will work with other Federal and State agencies to better integrate existing 

and planned monitoring programs and to develop long-term funding and governance 

agreements. Integration will include the following programs, at a minimum:

• The Interagency Ecological Program;

• The Delta Regional Monitoring Program being developed by the Central Valley 

Water Regional Water Quality Control Board (CVWRWQCB); 

• EPA’s under-development San Joaquin Basin Monitoring Strategy;

• The Sacramento River Watershed Program;

• Potential BDCP water quality monitoring requirements;

• Future San Joaquin River Restoration Program monitoring activities; and 

• The CALFED Science Program (to become the Delta Science Program).

4) Pesticides: Using its authority under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide 

Act (FIFRA), EPA is addressing issues related to the potential effects of pesticides to 

threatened or endangered species in the Bay-Delta while, to the extent appropriate, 

continuing to keep pest control tools available. EPA will complete Biological Assessments 

and ESA consultations for 74 pesticides and eleven species in the Bay-Delta. Where 

adverse impacts to Bay-Delta aquatic resources are indicated, EPA will make necessary 

changes to pesticide application guidelines.

5) Invasive Species: Federal agencies will reinforce their cross-agency collaboration in the 

FWS-led Bay-Delta Non-Native Invasive Species (NIS) program. The program will focus on 

preventing the introduction of new invasives (e.g., quagga mussels), limiting or eradicating 

existing invasives (e.g., Egeria densa), and reducing adverse impacts from infestations. 

Additionally, pursuant to the Clean Boating Act of 2008, EPA will promulgate regulations 

concerning cleaning of recreational boats as they move between waters in order to 

reduce potential for invasive species movement.
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B. Accelerate Construction and Upgrade of Facilities to Restore Delta Smelt and 

Other Native Aquatic Species 

Federal agencies will actively pursue options for restoring populations of delta smelt and 

other imperiled native aquatic species through a restoration hatchery. Delta smelt 

populations have declined so severely that immediate intervention will likely be needed to 

prevent their extinction in the wild. To ensure future viable smelt populations, and to guard 

against extinction of other native aquatic species, such as longfin smelt, green sturgeon, and 

split-tail, it will be necessary both to resolve questions of how to maintain genetic diversity and 

to find methods to raise large numbers of the species in captivity for reintroduction into 

restored habitat.

1) Fish Restoration Facility: A Federal-State and City partnership, led by FWS, has been 

formed to promote development of a restoration facility. The partnership is working to 

secure the funding needed for the engineering analysis and design of a larger permanent

facility – the Bay Delta Center for Collaborative Science and Restoration Propagation of 

Native Imperiled Aquatic Species – to be located at Rio Vista, CA. This facility would be 

capable of maintaining genetic refugia of delta smelt and other imperiled native aquatic 

species and producing the volumes of fish necessary for restoration and recovery. Federal 

agencies expect to partner with the State and City in conducting initial engineering design, 

site demolition and preparation activities, planning and environmental compliance 

consultation, and other activities.

2) Backup Refugium: A backup refugium also is needed to guard against a catastrophic event 

and loss of genetic diversity in delta smelt and to provide an interim restoration 

propagation facility until the Rio Vista Complex is operational. The existing UC Davis Delta 

Smelt Research and Culture Facility at Banks Pumping Plant was never envisioned as a 

long-term propagation facility, and considerable improvements are necessary to upgrade 

the facility to ensure operation, redundancy, and safety. Federal agencies will continue to 

work with UC Davis and the State to upgrade and ensure safety compliance for the 

existing facility at Byron.

C. Advance Delta Habitat Restoration Projects

Federal agencies will identify and prioritize key ecosystem restoration projects that help 

ensure the viability of the Bay-Delta ecosystem, protect endangered species, and contribute 

to sustainable water supplies. Several completed or ongoing Bay-Delta planning processes 

have emphasized habitat restoration as a critical element in restoring the ecosystem and its 

fisheries, improving water quality, and finding smarter and more efficient ways to manage 

sources of existing water. However, most potential restoration projects still await approval and 

the necessary funds for construction and implementation before action occurs on the ground. 

To help encourage more aggressive action toward ecosystem restoration, agencies will:
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• Establish a Task Force that, working with the State, will identify existing hurdles and take 

steps to streamline the process for implementing existing State and Federal restoration 

projects;

• Investigate a mechanism to “pool” resources among Federal agencies for specific types 

of restoration actions, where authorized, in order to speed up priority projects; and

• Explore new or expanded opportunities for leveraging non-profit land stewardship 

organizations to facilitate Federal land acquisition and ecosystem management.

Agencies will target their short-term habitat restoration efforts on the following areas:

San Joaquin River: Federal agencies will prioritize this comprehensive effort to restore

flows to the San Joaquin River from Friant Dam to the confluence of the Merced River 

and to restore a self-sustaining Chinook salmon fishery while reducing or avoiding 

adverse water supply impacts from restoration flows. Reclamation began releasing 

interim flows from Friant Dam on October 1, 2009 and will pursue a variable flow 

approach in the future that mimics historical peak flows.

Battle Creek: In 1999, Reclamation, NMFS and FWS, the California Department of Fish 

and Game, and Pacific Gas and Electric Company entered into an MOU to implement a 

restoration project spanning Tehama and Shasta Counties that will reestablish 

approximately 42 miles of prime salmon and steelhead habitat on Battle Creek, plus an 

additional six miles on its tributaries. The species include the State- and Federally listed 

Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon, the Sacramento River winter-run Chinook 

salmon, and the Central Valley steelhead. Restoration of this perennial cold-water 

habitat will protect these species during drought, contribute to the recovery of these 

fish populations, and improve water supply reliability. Phase 1A construction on the 

North Fork Battle Creek began in 2009. In April 2009, DOI committed $26 million in 

ARRA funds for Phase 1B. Construction on Phase 1B will begin in June 2010 on the 

South Fork of Battle Creek.

Cache Slough: This area in the northern Bay-Delta has a high biodiversity of native 

aquatic species and sensitive habitat, and a high potential for restoration success. In 

2007, it had the highest concentration of pre-spawning adult delta smelt. Restoration 

and preservation has begun through conservation easements and public lands. FWS has 

prioritized additional engineering work, habitat restoration, and purchase of easements 

at this site.

Yolo Bypass Floodplain: Increasing the frequency, duration, and extent of inundation of 

the Yolo Bypass, a critical part of the Delta flood protection system and part of the 

overall Sacramento River floodplain, will increase the availability of shallow floodplain 

habitat known to provide good spawning conditions for splittail and good rearing 

conditions for splittail and juvenile chinook salmon. The BDCP Habitat Restoration 

Technical Team is considering a modification to the existing Corps-operated Fremont 

Weir to allow greater frequency of floodplain activation in the Yolo Bypass from January 
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through April. The Yolo Bypass Management Strategy, developed in concert with local 

landowners and stakeholders within the Yolo Bypass, has also identified the potential 

for spring flooding of the bypass to provide habitat improvements for listed fish species.

Federal agencies recognize that the Bypass supports existing agricultural, wetland, and 

flood control uses and are committed to working within the BDCP and Yolo Bypass 

Working Group processes to find ways to improve habitat for Delta fish species, with an 

eye toward flood risk and safety. 

D. Continue to Prioritize the Construction of Facilities that Reduce Fish-Water 

Supply Interactions 

Federal agencies will continue to prioritize construction of facilities that reduce fishwater supply interactions. Priority is being given to the following projects:

Patterson Fish Screen: Federal agencies are interested in supporting 

construction of a fish screen for the Patterson Irrigation District, whose existing 

195 cubic feet per second (cfs) diversion represents the second-largest 

unscreened diversion on the San Joaquin River. Design and environmental 

compliance activities are complete, and $7.2 million in Federal funds has been 

committed to the project. Construction is awaiting provision of the mandated 

cost-share by the District or the State. Patterson has submitted a request to the 

State for $4.7 million to match a portion of the Federal cost share.

Red Bluff Fish Passage: This project includes construction of a new pumping plant that 

will provide water diversions to the Tehama-Colusa Canal, allowing the Red Bluff 

Diversion Dam gates to be permanently raised from the Sacramento River. Reclamation 

allocated $110 million in Recovery Act funding to the project, which is a required action 

under the June 2009 NOAA biological opinion. Completion of this project would remove 

a long-recognized impediment to migration of listed species.

Contra Costa Fish Screen: Reclamation is applying more than $30 million in Recovery 

Act funds to construct and install a fish screen that will prevent resident and migratory 

fish from being drawn into the Contra Costa Canal at the Rock Slough intake. This 

diversion is currently one of the largest unscreened Delta diversions. The project will be 

completed and operational in 2011. 

E. Augment the Analysis of Projected Climate Change-Related Impacts on the 

Bay-Delta 

Federal agencies will leverage their climate science programs and expertise to better 

understand and more aggressively take into account and adapt to the impacts of climate 

change on water supply and Bay-Delta ecosystem restoration. Climate change is expected to 

have considerable impacts on California, with the Federal Global Change Research Program 
19

anticipating reduced precipitation and increased temperatures in California. Such impacts may 

have substantial effects on water quality and supply, ecosystem health, endangered species, 

agriculture, recreation, and flood risk management. To address this challenge, Federal agencies 

will take the following actions:

Carbon Sequestration and Delta Subsidence Reversal Project: Emerging marsh 

vegetation has tremendous carbon sequestration potential, estimated to be as much as 

ten times that of forests. USGS has provided seed funding to initiate a new project that 

builds upon the success of two pilot wetlands that have been in place on the Delta’s 

Twitchell Island since 1997. This project would construct a larger demonstration 

wetland (300-600 acres) that would verify how this sequestration potential could be 

realized at a farm scale. Carbon sequestration and the accumulated vegetative residue 

also raise the surface of the soil, reversing land subsidence and reducing the 

vulnerability of island levees to failure and possible seawater intrusion. USGS looks 

forward to working with the State to identify funding that would enable continued 

development of this pilot project.

Explore Opportunities for Ecosystem Services Marketing of Carbon Credits for 

Agriculture: Significant opportunities for carbon sequestration linked to water quality 

improvements may exist in the Bay-Delta. Restoration of peatlands show promise for 

providing long-term carbon storage while potentially providing multiple water quality, 

levee stabilization, and habitat benefits. Currently, protocols for reporting carbon 

sequestration are being considered by the California Climate Action Registry (CAR), 

along with other agriculture-related sequestration protocols. 

USDA will contribute technical assistance and data resources to CAR in order to support 

the development of the proposed carbon offset protocols that may be used in estuary 

and tidal wetlands restoration. Further, USDA will work with the California Air 

Resources Board to clarify and enhance the greenhouse gas offsets provisions in its 

current Proposed Draft Regulation that establishes California’s cap-and-trade program. 

The Bay-Delta provides several opportunities to integrate water quality market 

development with potential greenhouse gas offsets by facilitating landowner 

participation in environmental markets and accelerating the application of conservation 

practices. NRCS and other USDA agencies will commit resources to working with local 

governments and Delta agricultural operations to increase opportunities for launching

restoration projects, constructing irrigation tailwater ponds, restoring wetlands, and 

undertaking other multi-environmental services projects.

Use of methane digesters in dairy operations could accelerate carbon market 

participation for local landowners in the Bay-Delta region. Further, integration of 

carbon markets with renewable energy portfolio contributions, as well as water quality 

improvements, may provide USDA and California an opportunity to demonstrate how 

ecosystem services markets can work together. On December 15, 2009, Secretary 

Vilsack announced an agreement with U.S. dairy producers targeting a 25% reduction in 
20

greenhouse gases in the dairy sector, initially emphasizing installation of anaerobic 

digesters for electricity production and methane gas destruction. As a result, USDA will:

• Work with the State to help integrate livestock and dairy management into 

greenhouse gas reduction and renewable energy programs; 

• Prioritize dairy and other livestock operations in the Bay-Delta watershed for 

water quality mitigation projects. Several operations may be eligible for 

methane capture and destruction carbon credits under CAR’s manure 

management protocol; and 

• Work to increase enrollment and participation in these programs, including small 

business loans and other financial assistance programs. 

Salmon Reintroduction: Reintroduction of salmon along with fish passage 

improvements to historically occupied habitats will help to restore access of salmon and 

steelhead to their historic, higher elevation habitats. These important efforts not only 

can help to improve population viability in the short term, but also will provide these 

species a cold water refuge under expected temperature and precipitation changes. 

While this action may not have immediate benefits, it will help the species become 

more resilient to future climate change impacts. Habitat evaluations for projects on the 

Sacramento, Yuba, and American Rivers are underway or will begin in 2010. Later 

phases of reintroduction are expected to begin in 2011 and 2012.

California Climate and Water Resources Handbook: EPA will partner with DWR, SWRCB, 

and the Corps of Engineers in 2010 to develop a “handbook” to help integrate climate 

change considerations into California’s Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) 

program. IRWM is a collaborative and multi-disciplinary approach used in California to 

manage all aspects of water resources in a region. Local entities, particularly smaller 

systems and municipalities, need assistance incorporating climate change 

considerations into their water resource planning in order to ensure that future 

investments are based on the best available information. 

F. Diversify Water Supply for Refuges

Federal agencies will bolster efforts to diversify Refuge Level 2 water supply 

deliveries. Reclamation continues to coordinate with Federal and State refuge 

managers to identify opportunities to schedule delivery of contracted water supplies to 

months outside the agricultural season. Further, $5 million in Recovery Act funding is 

being made available in 2010 to install groundwater wells to help supply water to three 

refuges, freeing up CVP supplies for agricultural and urban use. Reclamation is also 

evaluating the feasibility of reusing drainage water in Grasslands Water District to 

produce some Level 2 water.
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IV. Help Deliver Drought Relief Services and Ensure

Integrated Bay-Delta Flood Risk Management

A. Deliver Agricultural Drought Relief Services and Provide Farmers and 

Ranchers the Tools to Better Manage for Drought

USDA provides drought relief to California farmers and ranchers adversely affected by ongoing 

drought conditions through multiple programs with permanent statutory authority, including 

several new programs authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill. Based on Governor Schwarzenegger’s 

requests in 2009, the Secretary designated 57 of California’s 58 counties as disaster-affected. 

Through the implementation of new disaster programs, USDA anticipates providing California 

producers suffering from drought timelier and greater levels of assistance. In addition to these 

USDA-delivered programs, producers also insure against losses from drought and other causes 

utilizing Federal crop insurance policies supported by USDA and delivered by private insurance 

companies. USDA’s key drought relief programs for responding to current and future drought 

conditions include:

Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payment Program (SURE): SURE provides assistance 

to farmers who have suffered crop losses due to natural disasters, including drought. 

USDA will begin sign up for 2008 crop losses in late 2009 or early 2010. SURE has been 

enhanced to provide assistance for each year a producer suffers a qualifying loss (rather 

than only one out of every three years) and to provide increased coverage to producers 

who suffer yield declines due to long-term droughts. These changes will increase the 

likelihood that producers who have suffered during California’s extended drought both 

qualify for a disaster payment and receive a higher payment. 

Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP): LFP provides assistance to livestock producers 

during droughts and will provide substantial assistance to California producers. This 

new program contains notable advantages for California’s livestock producers over 

previous disaster programs, including substantially higher payments, timelier payments 

(often within a few weeks of qualifying), and the ability to receive payments each year 

rather than only one out of three. To date, LFP has already provided California $1.7 

million, and payments continue to be made.

Tree Assistance Program (TAP): In early 2010, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA)

intends to implement the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) in California. Farmers and 

orchardists who lose vines or trees due to drought will be able to use TAP to reestablish 

their orchards and vines.

Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees and Farm Raised Fish Program (ELAP):

Livestock producers, beekeepers and fish producers who suffer losses not covered 

under SURE, TAP, and LFP will be able to receive assistance from this program when FSA 

begins issuing ELAP payments in early 2010.
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Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP): NAP provides coverage to farmers 

who grow non-insurable crops and suffer natural disasters. California producers have 

received approximately $4.8 million from NAP on 2009 losses. 

Emergency Conservation Program (ECP): The ECP program provides emergency funding 

and technical assistance for farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate farmland damaged by 

natural disasters and for carrying out emergency water conservation measures in 

periods of severe drought. California received $182,500 through ECP from October 

2008 to September 2009. 

Emergency Farm Loans (EFL): EFL funding is contingent upon Secretarial disaster 

designations. Emergency loans help producers recover from production and physical 

losses due to drought, flooding, other natural disasters, or quarantine. Loans may be 

used to help restore or replace essential property, pay all or part of production costs 

associated with the disaster year, pay essential family living expenses, reorganize the 

farming operation, or refinance certain debts. From October 2008 to September 2009, 

$93 million in loans were provided to California producers, with $1.1 million in the form 

of emergency loans. 

Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP): USDA launched a Special EQIP 

Drought Initiative in 2009 that provided an additional $3.2 million in financial assistance 

to drought-stricken producers. This assistance allowed producers to provide temporary 

coverage in fallowed fields subject to severe wind erosion, to rehabilitate springs for 

stock water, and to undertake other critically needed conservation measures. If drought 

conditions persist in 2010, USDA is ready to develop and launch a successor EQIP effort 

to provide critical assistance to California producers. 

B. Undertake Integrated Flood Risk Management Activities in Partnership with 

the State of California and Local Authorities

Federal agencies will coordinate closely with the State of California and local authorities and 

undertake holistic flood risk management activities to assess existing infrastructure 

conditions and rehabilitation needs, explore opportunities for improving operations,

emphasize non-structural solutions, and identify new infrastructure options for protecting 

Bay-Delta and Central Valley communities. The current water conveyance and flood 

protection systems were constructed over a long period by different entities and to serve 

diverse goals. As a result, water conveyances are often inefficient, many levees are degraded 

and have seepage issues, and the systems are not up to current standards. Nor are they 

capable of withstanding certain seismic events or the effects of climate change, including sealevel rise. To promote integrated flood risk management, Federal agencies will examine BayDelta and Central Valley challenges and opportunities to ensure reliability among water supply, 

the environment, and social and economic health. Agencies will prioritize the following 

activities: 
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• Taking into consideration the funding recently appropriated for levee stabilization 

and flood protection in the State legislative package, Federal and State agencies will 

identify a near-term process to coordinate their actions in 2010 and to maximize the 

projects’ effectiveness and reach.

• Actively support the Central Valley Integrated Flood Management Study (CVIFMS), 

the CALFED Levee Stability Program, and other similar studies and processes to 

identify smarter and more effective ways to balance the myriad and oftencompeting uses of the floodplain. The Corps-led Delta Islands and Levees Feasibility 

Study will help assess flood risks and target opportunities for flood mitigation 

activities and ecosystem restoration. Public and agency scoping meetings for the 

Feasibility Study will be conducted before October 2010. Technical studies, 

including hydraulic and hydrologic data development and modeling, are planned 

between 2010 and 2012. 

• Actively partner with the State on the Pinole Shoal Management, California Project 

(PSM), establishing a joint, long-term framework for Delta channel maintenance and 

construction activities while maximizing the beneficial reuse of dredged sediments. 

In 2010, the partners will establish a trial Delta Dredging and Reuse Management 

Team and formulate management alternatives for the Delta PSM.