State Water Resources Control Board hears flood of public comment on Bay‑Delta plan; debate centers on voluntary agreements vs. enforceable flow standards

The State Water Resources Control Board convened the second day of a three‑day public hearing on the Sacramento Delta updates to the Bay‑Delta Water Quality Control Plan, hearing hours of panel testimony and more than a hundred public comments on Jan. 29.

Chair Joaquin Escobel opened the session by reminding attendees that the hearing was for oral comments only, that the board would take no action during the workshop, and that written comments on the revised draft plan and chapter 13 are due Feb. 2, 2026. He emphasized that staff will prepare written responses to both oral and written comments before any future adoption vote.

Why this matters: the board is advancing a dual path in the revised draft plan — a regulatory pathway that can impose stricter, unimpaired‑flow‑style standards and water supply adjustments, and a Healthy Rivers & Landscapes (HRL) pathway that relies on voluntary agreements (VAs), coordinated habitat projects, and an adaptive science program. Many speakers said the difference between those paths is whether measurable, enforceable flow protections will be in place sooner rather than later.

Fishermen and conservationists pressed for enforceable flows. John McManus, senior policy director for the Golden State…