The document summarizes a draft environmental impact report for the Delta Plan prepared by the Delta Stewardship Council. It notes that the preferred alternative in the Delta Plan relies on flow criteria and demand reduction rather than constructing new infrastructure. It also finds deficiencies in the draft EIR, including that it does not adequately address incorporating the Bay Delta Conservation Plan or alternatives if it fails. The Water Authority will provide comments on the draft EIR by the February 2nd deadline.

1. Draft Delta Plan EIR
Imported Water Committee
December 8, 2011

2.  Created Delta Stewardship Council
 Required DSC to write Delta Plan,
coordinating all other plans in the Delta
 Achieve co-equal goals
 Water Supply Reliability
 Ecosystem Restoration
 Due January 1, 2012
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2009 Delta Reform Act

3. Delta Stewardship Council
 Prepared five drafts of Delta Plan in 2011
 Water Authority commented on various
drafts
 Staff participated in ACWA Ag-Urban
Caucus, which submitted an Alternate
Plan
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4. Draft EIR
 Draft EIR is based on Fifth Draft of the
Delta Plan
 Fifth Draft is preferred alternative
 Five alternatives were rejected in the
Draft EIR, including ACWA Alternate
Plan
 Comment period has been extended to
February 2, 2012
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5. 5
 The preferred alternative does not
provide a plan to build a Delta fix in
terms of infrastructure
 The preferred alternative concentrates
on regulating water suppliers’ efforts to
reduce demand for water from the Delta
 The preferred alternative also relies on
flow criteria, which will restrict exports
Deficiencies in the Draft EIR

6. Deficiencies in the Draft EIR
 Under the Delta Reform Act, the DSC
must include the BDCP in the Delta Plan,
if it qualifies as an NCCP
 The preferred alternative does not
address a means of incorporating the
BDCP into the Delta Plan
 The Delta Plan does not address an
alternative to the BDCP, should the
BDCP fail to be approved
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7. Policies
The preferred alternative includes a set of
regulatory policies:
 Water Suppliers must include Water
Reliability Element in their Urban Water
Management Plans
 Update Delta flow requirements
 New water use or transfers must be
transparent
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8. Policies
 Habitat restoration activities must be
consistent with an adopted Conservation
Strategy
 All other actions must avoid or mitigate
lost opportunities for habitat restoration
 Agencies working on levees must
increase the extent of floodplains and
levee setbacks
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9. Policies
 Agencies must prevent or mitigate for
invasive species in the Delta
 Encroachments on floodplains or
bypasses must be mitigated
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10. Comments
 The preferred alternative:
 Does not say how it will achieve coequal
goals
 Does not provide for construction of
infrastructure, other than calling for
completion of BDCP
 Does not analyze how increasing freshwater
flows in the Delta will affect ecosystem
restoration
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11. Comments
 The preferred alternative:
 Dismisses ACWA Alternate Plan without
analysis
 Assumes regulatory powers that were not
intended by the Legislature
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12. Next Step
 Water Authority provides comments to
the Delta Stewardship Council on the
Draft EIR by February 2, 2012
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