Dept. of Water Resources Environmental Impact Cases

BACKGROUND FACTS AND PROCEDURE

Formed by the confluence of the state’s two largest rivers, the Delta is a “critically important natural resource for California and the nation.” (Wat. Code, § 85002; Delta Stewardship Council Cases (2020) 48 Cal.App.5th 1014, 1031 (Delta Stewardship).)1 It provides habitat for a vast array of aquatic and terrestrial species, offers a wide variety of recreational activities, supports extensive statewide infrastructure, and sustains a productive agricultural landscape rich in culture and history. (§§ 12981, subds. (a), (b), 85002, 85022, subds. (c), (d); Pub. Resources Code, §§ 29701, 29708; Delta Stewardship, supra, 48 Cal.App.5th at pp. 1027, 1030-1031, 1033.) The Delta also serves as the hub of California’s water supply infrastructure. (§§ 85002, 85004; Delta Stewardship, supra, 48 Cal.App.5th at p. 1033.) “Two major water systems[,] the federal Central Valley Project . . . and California’s State Water Project . . . [,] divert water from the Delta and convey water previously stored in upstream reservoirs through the Delta, primarily for urban and agricultural uses in . . . the San Francisco Bay Area, Central Valley, Central Coast, and Southern…