The State Water Resources Control Board ran a marathon last week in the world of regulatory hearings. For three full days, the agency delved into new and technical details within plans for voluntary agreements over Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta flows and habitat restoration.
During the sessions, scientists and water wonks went toe-to-toe with environmental and tribal advocates over claims of harming fish. Parties on all sides referred to the VAs as a grand experiment that must flex to the many demands on the system and face continuous scrutiny over their eight-year horizon.
Yet forces outside the water board can diminish the prospects for success. Ag and irrigation districts have shared disappointment over a “meager” 5% increase in state and federal water allocations last week amid a second wet year and overflowing reservoirs.
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The low deliveries present “unnecessary and unjustified hardships for the hard-working people of our district,” according to Westlands Water District General Manager Allison Febbo. The farm water provider pointed out that the Bureau of Reclamation decided on a 50% allocation in 2018 under similar hydrologic conditions.
She worried the allocations would set an overly cautious precedent for water management, potentially undermining promises from both administrations to implement science-based decisions, better transparency and adaptive management under the VAs.
Keep in mind: Despite all the recent action at the board, the agency does not expect to vote on the VAs until well into 2025.
