The California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) will hold a public workshop on April 24-26 to discuss voluntary agreements (VAs) proposed by water districts and state and federal agencies.

The workshop is an opportunity for parties to provide a detailed overview of the VA proposal before the Board. Participants will answer questions from the Board members and receive input from the public.

Proponents are working to include the VAs in the update the Sacramento River and Delta components of the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary (Bay-Delta Plan).

Click here to read the schedule

Sessions will include:

• Session 1: Integration of VA Flow and Non­flow Measures – discussion of how VA flow and non­flow assets were developed and are intended to be integrated to benefit native fish
• Session 2: Flow Measure Accounting – discussion of proposed adaptive measures for implementing VA flows and proposed accounting for flow assets
• Session 3: Non­flow Measure Accounting – discussion of the proposed VA accounting protocols for non­flow measures, including for spawning, rearing, floodplain, bypass, and tidal wetland non­flow measures
• Session 4: Science Plan – discussion of the proposed VA Science Plan, including the proposed approaches for evaluating outcomes of the flow and non­flow measures  
• Session 5: Governance and Participation – discussion of the proposed VA governance structure for decision making, coordination of VA efforts, engagement with other interested participants, and State Water Board regulatory oversight

New! What are the VAs all about? Learn more – video (2:48 minutes)

This new whiteboard video (2:48 minutes) helps describe the Agreements to Support Healthy Rivers and Landscapes program. The Northen California Water Association and State Water Contractors sponsored the video, which was released on April 17.

The Agreements are a transformational approach to managing California’s water, which is important to address our new climate reality by implementing innovative approaches and forging partnerships to navigate the complexities of our shifting water landscape and safeguard the future of our state’s natural resources.