The Bay-Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) Unit of the Water Branch is the Department’s lead for development of the BDCP.  It coordinates with other Department programs including the Habitat Conservation Branch, Fisheries Branch and appropriate Regions to provide substantial technical assistance in the preparation of the BDCP.  The Branch is also responsible for assuring that coordination occurs with the National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service so that input from the agencies is coordinated and consistent.  Water Branch staff provides technical support and policy guidance to the BDCP Steering Committee and participates in technical workgroup meetings that support the BDCP development process.

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is an area of critical importance to California.  It is home to more than half a million people; contains 500,000 acres of agriculture; provides drinking water for more than 25 million Californians; and serves as habitat for a diverse assortment of native plant and animal species.  However, due to the State's increasing population, demand for water and changing environmental conditions, the Delta is in jeopardy of collapse.  The Ecosystem Restoration Program (ERP) is a multi-agency effort aimed at improving and increasing aquatic and terrestrial habitats and ecological function in the Delta and its tributaries.  

The Department of Fish and Game’s Water Branch plays a lead role in bringing about integrated solutions for the Delta.  Branch staff coordinate with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service to implement ERP.  The Branch also uses information from related programs, such as the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan, Delta Vision, and the Delta Risk Management Strategy.  Products from these other restoration efforts are synthesized to develop the ERP Conservation Strategy, which in turn, provides a consistent framework for restoration activities of the ERP and Delta Vision.

The Water Branch executes restoration actions through projects administered by the ERP Grants Program.  The vast majority of these projects focus on fish passage issues, species assessment, sedimentation, or habitat restoration.  Branch staff provides grant management for ongoing ERP projects; the Water Branch also works with DFG Regional staff and prospective grant recipients to award and execute new projects.  Current grants are funded through Proposition 84, and reflect a re-focusing of the program on the ecological issues within the Delta and its tributaries.