Today’s NGO briefing by the State Water Resources Control Board on the Bay-Delta Plan process left conservationists, fishermen, and Tribal and environmental justice advocates deeply alarmed. The Board appears to be laying the groundwork to approve the Voluntary Agreements (VAs)—a controversial, deeply flawed proposal designed behind closed doors by the very water users who would benefit most from it.
“This is a sad day for the State Water Board and one more on a long list of bad days for salmon,” said Scott Artis executive director of Golden State Salmon Association. “The Board seems to be collapsing under pressure from the Governor to approve the fatally flawed voluntary agreements. The VAs are a scam that could cost taxpayers billions, enrich water agencies and make the rivers even sicker. The VAs set the stage for even more damaging diversions by the massive Delta tunnel. Commercial fishing in California has been closed for 3 years because of unsustainable water diversions. This looks like a plan to kill California’s most important wild salmon runs and fishing jobs.”
At the heart of the VAs is a deceptive premise: they offer modest “environmental water” while setting the stage for massive new diversions from projects like Sites Reservoir and the proposed Delta tunnel. These diversions would come from the same existing flows that form the baseline for the new water, meaning overall conditions in the Bay-Delta could become even worse than they are today.
Taxpayers are being asked to foot the bill—over $2 billion—most of which would go directly to the water agencies that helped write the VAs. Meanwhile, in critical dry years when ecosystems are most vulnerable, the VAs offer little to no new water: zero on the Yuba, Feather, and Mokelumne rivers, and a meager 2,000 acre-feet on the Sacramento River, the state’s largest.
The VAs also mirror the failed CALFED Environmental Water Account, which allowed state water projects to worsen environmental conditions while financially benefiting water users. History is set to repeat itself—only on a much larger and more destructive scale.
Equally troubling is the exclusion of key voices. Tribal leaders, fishing communities, environmental justice advocates, and conservation groups were shut out of the process. The Governor’s office has refused to meet with opponents, despite repeated requests and the dire implications of the plan.
Despite claims of new environmental benefits, the water proposed in the VAs has been shrinking for years, and there’s no contingency if the anticipated $900 million in federal funds fails to materialize—which appears likely.
If the VAs falter, it could take years before the State Water Board reevaluates the situation, leaving already declining salmon and imperiled rivers in an even more precarious position.
“One thing is clear. The Voluntary Agreements aren’t a solution—they’re a water diversion tactic dressed up as progress, with consequences California’s natural heritage, people and communities can’t afford,” said Artis.
July 24, 2025 State Water Board Presentation: Revised Draft Sacramento/Delta Updates to the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan