CALFED Overview

The CALFED Bay-Delta Program is a unique collaboration among 25 state and federal agencies that came together with a mission: to improve water supplies in California and the health of the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

In 2000, CALFED drafted a 30-year plan described in its programmatic Record of Decision or ROD that set forth general goals and laid out a science-based planning process through which the collaborative was able to make better, more informed decisions on future projects and programs within their purview. Two years later, the California Bay-Delta Authority was created to oversee the program’s implementation and Congress adopted the plan in 2004.

Learn more about the CALFED Bay-Delta Program:

• CALFED Agencies
• Record of Decision
• California Bay-Delta Authority
• Bay-Delta Public Advisory Committee
• CALFED Program Elements

CALFED History

CALFED emerged from water crises of the 1990s, and was shaped by funding crises in the early 2000s. It was seen as an alternative to the costly and time-consuming legal wrangling amongst Delta interests and a way to solve conflicts in the Delta to benefit the system. Throughout these decades, it has always embodied the most important ideals of government: interagency coordination, collaborative problem-solving and public involvement leading to open and transparent decision-making and accountability.

Learn more about the history of CALFED

The West’s Largest Estuary

Today, the Delta plays a major role in the state’s prosperity by providing at least a portion of the drinking water for 23 million Californians, fueling a $31 billion agricultural industry and serving as an important habitat to 750 animal and plant species, including waterfowl, birds of prey, sport fish and species listed as threatened or endangered: Delta smelt, Chinook salmon and steelhead. The 1,000 square-mile estuary supports 80 percent of California’s commercial salmon fisheries and its 1,600 miles of levees protect farms, cities, schools and people.

Learn more about the Bay-Delta

CALFED Today

In May 2005, in his Budget Revise message, Governor Schwarzenegger called for an independent review to help CALFED refocus and revitalize to deal with issues about its operation and emerging crises in the Delta. An independent review by the Little Hoover Commission, state Department of Finance and management consultant KPMG followed. This briefing book provides highlights of the CALFED Program’s 10-Year Action Plan, based on recommendations from the independent review.

This Plan outlines the new way CALFED will work – still as an integral part of the overall California Water Plan – to bypass old stumbling blocks and forge ahead to solve crises in the Delta. This Plan has the support and commitment of the 25 state and federal agencies that comprise CALFED and their commitment to working with policymakers, local and regional entities, the state’s environmental justice and tribal communities, and other stakeholders to make CALFED a success.

Coupled with Governor Schwarzenegger’s Strategic Growth Plan, CALFED’s 10-Year Action Plan is designed to deliver on the promise for which it was created: to balance the needs of the environment and economy for the benefit of future generations.

Learn more about CALFED’s revitalization and refocusing efforts:

• Revitalizing CALFED
• Governor Schwarzenegger’s Strategic Growth Plan

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the CALFED Bay-Delta Program is to develop and implement a long-term comprehensive plan that will restore ecological health and improve water management for beneficial uses of the Bay-Delta System.