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Tribes and environmental groups urge board to reject voluntary agreements, press for higher regulatory flows
Summary
Tribal leaders, environmental groups and fishery organizations told the State Water Resources Control Board during the Jan. 23 workshop that the voluntary agreements (VAs) cannot replace legally enforceable regulatory protections and urged the board to adopt stronger flow safeguards — including explicit tribal beneficial uses.
Tribal leaders, environmental organizations and fishing groups used the Jan. 23 workshop to press the State Water Resources Control Board to reject privately negotiated Voluntary Agreements as the primary means of updating the Bay‑Delta Plan, arguing the VA process lacks transparency and legal safeguards and will not deliver sufficient protected flows.
Why it matters: Tribes and environmental groups said VA signatories negotiated outside broad public participation, creating a risk that VA flows will be added on top of a diminished regulatory base and will be eroded by new diversions. They urged adoption of clearer, enforceable regulatory standards and explicit recognition of tribal beneficial uses.
Key testimony and claims -…
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