DFG News Archive

DFG Fish and Wildlife Agencies Find CALFED Program is Making Progress Toward Conserving Species

Agencies conclude that the program is on track with many of its environmental and water-quality “milestones”

The CALFED Bay-Delta Program’s innovative Environmental Water Account has been an effective water management and fishery protection tool during its first three years, and implementation of the Ecosystem Restoration Program is progressing well, state and federal fish and wildlife agencies have concluded.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Department of Fish and Game and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) have found that the CALFED Program is in compliance with the environmental commitments it made in 2000 for the 7-year-long Stage 1.

“Four years ago, when we designed the Ecosystem Restoration Program and Environmental Water Account, we set targets and check-in points," said Ryan Broddrick, Director of the California Department of Fish and Game. "This assessment shows we are on track to meet our targets for conserving and recovering fish and wildlife that depend on the Bay-Delta ecosystem."

“CALFED has begun a commendable effort towards restoring the Central Valley ecosystem,” said Michael Aceituno, Sacramento Area Supervisor for NOAA Fisheries. “Progress towards achieving many of the targets set in the Ecosystem Restoration Program, along with benefits achieved through the Environmental Water Account, will help in the conservation and recovery of salmon and steelhead throughout the valley.”

Because of that, the fish and wildlife agencies, the state Department of Water Resources and the Bureau of Reclamation have signed an agreement extending the Environmental Water Account for another three years. The agencies have also signed an amendment to extend for three more years the CALFED Program commitment to not reduce water deliveries from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

“The CALFED Program is on track and on schedule to meet its environmental commitments,” said Steve Thompson, California-Nevada Operations Manager for the Fish and Wildlife Service. “That is good for the Bay-Delta ecosystem, and it helps provide stability for California’s urban, rural and environmental water supplies.”

These actions allow state and federal water exports to continue without additional reductions in order to protect fish. It also continues CALFED’s programmatic coverage under the Endangered Species Act and other state and federal laws.

Nearly 80 percent of the “milestones” provided for in CALFED’s Stage 1 are on or ahead of schedule, the review concluded. This shows that the CALFED Program is meeting its substantial commitment to reviving California’s Bay-Delta ecosystem while improving the reliability of the state’s water supplies.

In its first four years the program has invested more than $476 million in more than 400 ecosystem restoration projects spread throughout the Central Valley and the Bay-Delta watershed. Accomplishments include protecting or enhancing more than 100,000 acres of habitat – more than half this amount in protecting wildlife-friendly agricultural land. The CALFED Program has also helped fund and coordinate improvements to spawning and rearing conditions for salmon and steelhead on Central Valley rivers and streams; removal of dams and other barriers to fish migration, and scientific research, environmental education and collaborative watershed management.

The CALFED Bay-Delta Program, formed in 2000, is a cooperative effort of roughly 20 state and federal agencies working with local communities to improve the quality and reliability of California’s water supplies and revive the San Francisco Bay-Delta ecosystem. The Ecosystem Restoration Program is the primary CALFED Program element responsible for restoring habitats and improving the ecological health of the Bay-Delta ecosystem. The Environmental Water Account aims at adding flexibility to the state's water delivery system, providing water at critical times to meet environmental needs without water supply impacts on cities, farms and businesses. The Ecosystem Restoration Program and Environmental Water Account together form the foundation for the CALFED Program’s efforts to meet its environmental commitments.

To make sure the CALFED Program made adequate progress, the agencies agreed in 2000 to reinitiate consultation under the Endangered Species Act by September 30, 2004 – the mid-point in the CALFED Program’s Stage 1. The agencies embarked on a lengthy and comprehensive evaluation of the efficacy of the Environmental Water Account and progress toward achieving 119 milestones in conserving and promoting the recovery of threatened and endangered species. The agencies started this review process in March 2004, provided a draft of their analysis for public review in August 2004, and have now concluded their analysis.

The agencies found that 95 milestones – or 79 percent – are on or ahead of schedule, while 15 milestones – or 13 percent – are behind schedule. Another nine milestones, all having to do with water quality improvements, are still under evaluation because they dealt with complex and evolving issues that will require long-term solutions.

Documents that support this analysis and conclusion can be found at http://www.delta.dfg.ca.gov/envcomp/milestones.asp and information about the CALFED Program generally is at http://calwater.ca.gov/.