News and Important Developments

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Record-Breaking Public Opposition Dominates Bay-Delta Plan Hearings

Stockton, Calif. – Today, the Delta Tribal Environmental Coalition (DTEC), consisting of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Winnemem Wintu Tribe, Little Manila Rising, and Restore the Delta, formally filed public comments in response to the State Water Resources Control Board’s proposed update to the Bay-Delta Plan, following an unprecedented level of public participation opposing the draft update. 

“Delta communities and Californians more broadly do not support the flawed voluntary agreements proposal,” said Cintia Cortez, Policy Program Manager at Restore the Delta. “Deteriorating conditions are threatening the safety, health, and economic prosperity of Delta communities, cultural wellness of Delta tribes, and water supply for all Californians. We urge the Board to side with the community, who were the vast majority of respondents in recent hearings, and science in opposing the fatally flawed proposal.”

This historic turnout reflects extensive community organizing led by a broad coalition of Tribes, conservation advocates, fishing groups, and environmental justice organizations, including:

• Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians
• Winnemum Wintu
• California Indian Environmental Alliance 
• Sierra Club California
• Yosemite River Alliance
• San Francisco Bay-Keeper
• Friends of the River
• Defenders of Wildlife
• California Sportfishing Protection Alliance
• Restore the Delta
• Save California Salmon

The comments submitted by DTEC reflect the clear and overwhelming opposition of everyday Californians and urge the State Water Board to reject the Voluntary Agreements approach. Instead, DTEC calls on the Board to enforce strong, science-based protections for Delta water quality and ecosystems, uphold democratic participation in water planning, and respect Tribal sovereignty and Traditional Ecological Knowledge.

The Sites Reservoir: An Archaic “Solution” to Water

Through the construction of several large dams and two expansive tunnels, the Sites Reservoir project is an exorbitant piece of gray infrastructure that would fail to meaningfully expand water supplies during drought years while hastening the extinction of endangered fish species throughout the Sacramento River and its tributaries.

Numerous endangered fish species, including the Chinook Salmon, Longfin Smelt, and Steelhead Trout, inhabit the Sacramento River and downstream water bodies.3 These fish species are integral parts of both Sacramento river ecosystems and local fishing economies. Moreover, they are already critically endangered due to years of decreased flows and increased water temperatures from over-pumping; salmon counts in the Sacramento River have been recorded as far below average for the past six years.

The risk of salmon extinction is not only troubling for the overall well-being of the greater Sacramento ecosystem, but also for California’s fishing industry and the cultural heritage of Indigenous communities along the Sacramento River.

These problems are only going to get worse for imperiled fish populations with the construction of the Sites Reservoir. Even more alarming, project proponents have fast-tracked the Sites Reservoir through a hastened environmental review process, failing to adequately mitigate impacts to fish species in the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report

Make Your Voice Heard at the Bay-Delta Plan Hearings

On December 12, 2025, the Water Board released the latest update to the Bay-Delta Plan, a critical rulemaking for ensuring: water quality, river flows and ecosystem protections for the state’s largest and most endangered estuary and watershed. Disappointingly, the update included the inequitable and deceptive Voluntary Agreements, without adequate protections for ecosystems or the tribes and communities that depend on them. 

Restore the Delta alongside Tribes, environmental advocates, and environmental justice organizations continue to advocate for a regulatory framework, but we need your help! Join us on January 28, 29 and/or 30 to raise your voice in opposition to this bad update to the Bay-Delta Plan.

Why It Matters:

The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB or Water Board) plans to vote on whether to adopt this latest iteration of the Bay-Delta Plan by the end of 2026. This is the final opportunity to voice our opposition to the plan, which would be devastating to Tribes, environmental justice communities, and the Bay-Delta ecosystem.

How You Can Participate:

The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB or Water Board) plans to vote on whether to adopt this latest iteration of the Bay-Delta Plan by the end of 2026. This is the final opportunity to voice our opposition to the plan, which would be devastating to Tribes, environmental justice communities, and the Bay-Delta ecosystem.

1. Register for public comment via the Speaker Card no later than January 27, 2026
2. Select which date you would like to attend: January 28, 29, or 30 
3. Choose how you’ll attend: in-person or virtually
4. Use our Bay-Delta Plan One-Pager to draft a public comment (up to 3-minutes) explaining how the current version of the Bay-Delta Plan would negatively impact your family or community, your business or organization, environmental or economic interests.
5. Mark your calendar and join us! 
   • When: January 28, 29 and/or 30 
   • Time: 9:00am 
   • Where: Joe Serna Jr. CalEPA Building Coastal Hearing Room 1001 I Street, Second Floor Sacramento, CA 95814
   • For virtual attendees, you will receive participation instructions from the Water Board after filling out the Speaker Card