ACWA Delivers Roadmap to Achieving VAs to State Officials by ACWA Staff Oct 16, 2020 Water News ACWA on Oct. 15 submitted “A Roadmap To Achieving the Voluntary Agreements” to Gov. Gavin Newsom and top members of his Administration that calls on the State to take the necessary steps to re-engage on Voluntary Agreements (VAs) regarding the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta and its tributaries. A letter signed by ACWA Executive Director Dave Eggerton on behalf of more than 450 ACWA member agencies introduced the Roadmap to Newsom and top Administration officials. The Roadmap asks the State to take the following actions: Action 1: Resolve the litigation between the State, the federal government, public water agencies and non-governmental organizations regarding the Incidental Take Permit and the Biological Opinion. Action 2: Convene all parties to complete the VAs and the related efforts to advance the implementation of the State Water Resources Control Board’s Water Quality Control Plan through VAs. Action 3: Support and assist water agencies that have proposed early implementation projects to accelerate improvements for fish and wildlife, including with funding and streamlined permitting processes. Through the Roadmap, public water agencies participating in the VAs are renewing their commitment to achieving the VAs and advancing California on a path towards water resilience. These public water agencies are committed to early implementation of a list of habitat restoration and creation projects and related flow actions that would inject tens of millions of dollars into the state economy at this critical time. This commitment also includes implementation of a broad spectrum of integrated actions to maximize benefits to the Bay-Delta ecosystem and a collaborative decision-making approach that includes the participation of nongovernmental organizations in the governance framework. “As the State continues to overcome a myriad of immediate challenges, including COVID-19 and wildfires, we ask that the State does not lose sight of the need for a comprehensive solution for the Sacramento-San Joaquin (Delta) watershed, consistent with your vision outlined in the recently released Water Resilience Portfolio,” Eggerton wrote in introducing the Roadmap. “Now is the time to complete the Voluntary Agreements and put California on a path of success that restores the Bay-Delta ecosystem and improves water reliability for the 35 million people and nearly 8 million acres of farmland dependent on its water supply.”
