True Blue: A Plan to Protect the Delta

By Christopher Cabaldon

California?s inland coast is no less a natural and historic treasure of statewide importance. It is the Delta, where the Sacramento, Cosumnes, Mokelumne, and San Joaquin rivers come together in 1,000 miles of rivers and sloughs that surround countless islands. If the Pacific Coast defines our state's rugged and global frontier, the Delta is California's most precious working landscape. It is the foundation of our water system, an irreplaceable habitat for California fish and birds, and a critical region for California agriculture. The enduring quilt of Delta islands is a testament to the ingenuity and resolve of our people. The Delta is California's heritage, and our future.

But like the coast three decades ago, the Delta is under siege. Mercury and other poisons are endangering birds and fish, and the delicate ecosystems that support them. Bacteria and other pollution in the water threaten the health of Californians who eat Delta fish or take advantage of the Delta's recreation opportunities. Delta farmland, habitat, heritage sites, and scenic vistas are under pressure from urban development. Public access to recreational opportunities and environmental enjoyment is disappearing. And a confusing patchwork of woefully understaffed law enforcement agencies is unable to assure the safety of Delta visitors, residents, and wildlife.

I know we can do better. As a Delta Protection Commissioner, I've fought to protect habitat and farmland, and to preserve this special place. On the Regional Water Quality Control Board for the Delta and the surrounding valleys, I've voted for tough standards against water pollution to prevent further degradation of our drinking water and critical fish habitat. As a Mayor and City Councilman, I've led the battle for sensible growth and transportation policies that keep our cities healthy and protect open space and sensitive areas like the Delta, and I sponsored a tough new ordinance to remove polluting and decaying vessels from the Sacramento River and Deep Water Channel.

But no single agency or local government can do this alone. To protect and restore the Delta for public enjoyment and environmental sustainability will require California to enact a comprehensive Delta strategy.

To rescue the Delta and reclaim it for people and wildlife, I propose that California create a new Delta Conservancy and strengthen the Delta Protection Commission. Like we did in 1972 for the California Coast, we must take aggressive and effective action to protect our precious Delta.

The Delta Conservancy

· Safeguard the working landscapes of the Delta against sprawl by preserving farmland and protecting the economic viability of Delta agriculture. The conservancy, like the state's eight other conservancies, would acquire land and easements to assure the long-term balance of appropriate land use in the Delta using funding available in the proposed California Resources Legacy Bond Act.

· Create sanctuaries for endangered fish and birds with permanent habitat refuges for Delta wildlife, and provide state incentives for wildlife-friendly agricultural practices. The Delta is the heart of the Pacific Flyway and a key habitat for millions of birds and many endangered fish species.

· Reconnect Californians with the Delta by promoting recreation and environmental tourism with new public fishing piers and boat docks, roadside scenic observation areas, and by spurring new commercial investment in the Delta?s small towns.

· Protect Delta visitors, residents, and wildlife by doubling law enforcement in the Delta and integrating the current patchwork of 21 law enforcement agencies into a new Delta Rangers force. The Delta Rangers would be a joint operation, coordinated under the umbrella of the Delta Conservancy, involving the game wardens of the Department of Fish and Game, the rangers of the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Coast Guard, the officers of the California Highway Patrol, the sheriffs of the five Delta counties, and the police officers of the 12 Delta cities. As the Delta is a water, habitat, economic, and recreational resource of statewide importance, the state government should match the commitment of local and federal agencies to making the Delta safe for people and wildlife.

· Keep the Delta ecosystem healthy with tough new protections against pollution and poisons entering Delta waters, state aid to improve municipal sewer and stormwater systems, installation of public restroom facilities in Delta recreation and wildlife areas, removal of abandoned and decrepit boats, and an aggressive new Deltawide trash clean-up program. Up to $300 million may be available in the California Resources Legacy Bond Act for such water quality improvements.

· Create a new Delta Heritage Preserve to restore and protect the Delta's precious small towns and historic sites. Up to $230 million could be available statewide in the proposed California Resources Legacy Bond Act for these projects, with additional funding possible from the state share of federal transportation enhancement funds.

· Promote wildlife and environmental education by building a Delta Science Center in Solano County and a Pacific Flyway Center at the Yolo Bypass. These centers will provide a place for scientists to further our understanding of Delta hydrology, water, and ecosystems, and visitors centers at two key Delta gateways with interpretive exhibits, tours, classes, and materials.

· Protect public safety and the economic, habitat, and historical resources of the Delta islands by strengthening and raising Delta levees in partnership with local reclamation agencies and the federal government. State government, working through the Delta Conservancy, should assume financial responsibility for waterside improvement and maintenance of all levees in exchange for guaranteeing public access and the right-of-way needed for the Delta Shoreline Trail and other recreation and environmental enhancements.

· Create a 100-mile Delta Shoreline Trail to provide continuous hiking, bicycling, bank fishing, and equestrian access along Delta rivers and sloughs, and convert old rail lines to trails connecting the Delta Shoreline Trail with surrounding cities in Solano, Yolo, and Sacramento counties. Up to $70 million is available in the proposed California Resources Legacy Bond Act for trail projects. The California Conservation Corps should also be a partner, using its successful Backcountry Trails program as a model.

· Offer a Delta license plate through the Department of Motor Vehicles. The state's environmental license plates (e.g. Yosemite or Tahoe) raise awareness and support for precious resources like the Delta and produce hundreds of thousands of dollars, or even millions, that could be used to support the projects of the proposed Delta Conservancy.

The Delta Protection Commission

· End farmland and habitat loss in the Delta. The commission should have the same powers in the Delta primary zone that have made the Bay Conservation and Development Commission so effective at reversing encroachment on the San Francisco Bay -- the same powers that the Coastal Commission has used to protect our coastline.

· Open the shoreline to public access by restricting private development on the shoreline and requiring all proposed development projects to provide public access to the water's edge.

· Protect the riverbank of the West Delta by bringing Rio Vista and the Montezuma Hills under the shelter of the Delta Protection Act before they are paved over by outside development pressures.