Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Program

  • Nov 20, 2023

The Healthy Rivers and Landscapes (HRL) Program, previously referred to as Voluntary Agreements and Agreements to Support Healthy Rivers and Landscapes, represent an unprecedented opportunity to improve the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Bay-Delta) ecosystem by creating a comprehensive program of habitat enhancement projects coupled with more water for fish and wildlife, managed in a collaborative, science-based manner. ACWA strongly supports the HRL Program as the best approach to protecting, restoring, and enhancing California’s Bay-Delta.

Timeline

Future
1/23/25: State Water Board public workshop on modular Alternatives 5a and 6a.
12/12/24: State Water Board public workshop on tribal focused topics and general comments about the Sacramento/Delta update to the Bay-Delta Plan.
12/3/24: State Water Board public workshop on the HRL Program’s flow and habitat accounting.
11/22/24: State Water Board public workshop on the HRL Program provisions for the Sacramento/Delta update to the Bay-Delta Plan.
11/20/24: State Water Board public workshop on the draft Sacramento/Delta regulatory provisions in the Bay-Delta Plan.
12/19/24: Written comments on the draft update are due to the State Water Board.
Past
10/25/24: State Water Board released a draft of potential updates for the Sacramento/Delta changes to the Bay-Delta Plan, including options for incorporating a regulatory pathway.
8/15/2024: The Department of Water Resources, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and parties to the HRL Program release a Common Responses document.
6/6/2024: ACWA-led coalition letter is submitted, opposing funding reductions for the HRL Program.
4/24-4/26/2024: State Water Board public workshop on the HRL Program, including public testimony by ACWA staff and member agency representatives.
3/29/2024: HRL Program parties release additional documents which include Flow Accounting Procedures, Non-flow Measure Accounting Protocols, Implementing Agreements, and Enforcement Agreements.
1/19/2024: Written comments on the draft Staff Report are due to the State Water Board.
12/11/2023: State Water Board public hearing on draft Staff Report.
12/1/2023: State Water Board public hearing on draft Staff Report.
11/17/2023: State Water Board public hearing on draft Staff Report and opportunity for oral comments.
11/14/2023: State Water Board extends public comment period from 11/15/2023 to 1/19/2024.
11/2/2023: State Water Board workshop on modeling used in draft Staff Report.
10/19/2023: State Water Board workshop on overview of draft Staff Report.
9/28/2023: State Water Board releases draft Staff Report in support of Sacramento/Delta updates to the Bay-Delta Plan and the Final Draft Scientific Basis Report Supplement in Support of Proposed Voluntary Agreements.
5/18/2023: State Water Board scoping meeting to solicit input regarding the proposed Tuolumne River Voluntary Agreement.
4/11/2023: State Water Board releases Notice of Preparation of Environmental Documentation for Possible Amendment of the Bay-Delta Plan to Incorporate Voluntary Agreement for the Tuolumne River.
1/19/2023: State Water Board public workshop on the Draft Scientific Basis Report Supplement in Support of Proposed Voluntary Agreements.
1/5/2023: State Water Board releases the Draft Scientific Basis Report Supplement in Support of Proposed Voluntary Agreements.
3/29/2022: State Water Board receives a Memorandum of Understanding Advancing a Term Sheet for Voluntary Agreements.
12/12/2018: State Water Board adopts Bay-Delta Plan amendments and a Final SED establishing updated flow objectives on the Lower San Joaquin River.
7/6/2018: State Water Board releases a Framework for the Sacramento/Delta Update to the Bay-Delta Plan.
10/2/2017: State Water Board finalizes the Scientific Basis Report in Support of New and Modified Requirements for Inflows from the Sacramento River and its Tributaries and Eastside Tributaries to the Delta, Delta Outflows, Cold Water Habitat, and Interior Delta Flows.
1/24/2012: State Water Board initiates process to update the Sacramento/Delta portions of the Bay-Delta Plan.

FAQ

What is the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Program?

Hundreds of organizations either depend on or have a say in the management of the Bay-Delta. And all those organizations agree that the Bay-Delta is in trouble as native aquatic species of fish, such as salmon and Delta smelt, and the ecosystem that they depend on continue to decline. A large coalition of those organizations – federal, state and local agencies such as water and irrigation districts, along with farmers – have united behind comprehensive plans for protecting the Bay-Delta from further environmental harm, while providing adequate water supplies for farms and cities.

These plans are the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes (HRL) Program, previously called Voluntary Agreements. They propose a historic suite of integrated actions that are far broader than the flow-only approach proposed by the State Water Resources Control Board staff. This new approach will also allow water managers to adapt operations based on real-time conditions and enable broad coordination across watersheds to manage flows for maximal benefits. This more flexible, adaptive management is critical as climate change increases uncertainty and drives extreme conditions.

When and how can the HRL Program work to improve the Bay-Delta?

The HRL Program, if approved by the State Water Board as an implementation pathway for an updated Bay-Delta Plan, could help state agencies meet requirements to protect beneficial uses in the Sacramento and San Joaquin watersheds. Through this approach, California would dedicate a large quantity of water to the environment and restore 45,000 acres of aquatic habitat for fish and other animals. The HRL Program provide a promising pathway to protect and restore our environment, enable California’s economy to thrive, and provide a foundation for a more resilient future. When it comes to water in California, now is the time to bridge our differences in pursuit of sustainable solutions that meet our state’s needs.

What is ACWA doing to advocate for the HRL Program?

ACWA continues to advocate in support of the proposed program as the superior approach to updating the Bay-Delta Plan and achieving the coequal goals of protecting, restoring, and enhancing the Delta. Following the release of the draft Staff Report in September 2023, ACWA convened its Bay-Delta Working Group and engaged with member agencies, partners, and interested parties to inform its advocacy. ACWA staff intend to provide oral and written comments on the draft Staff Report to the State Water Board.

State Water Contractors’ California’s Voluntary Agreements Fact Sheet

California Natural Resources Agency’s FAQ webpage

Background

You can learn more about how the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Program works through the following websites and videos, which also provide historical background on the process leading to the Agreements.

Documents

Videos