Tuesday, November 6, 2007 - 1:35 PM
145-1
The San Joaquin River and its Relationship to the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary: A Physical and Policy Overview.
Les Grober, Division of Water Rights, California State Water Resources Control Board, 1001 I Street, P.O. Box 2000, Sacramento, CA 95812
For over a century, various projects have physically regulated flows in the San Joaquin River and the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary (Bay-Delta) and its tributaries to provide local and statewide water supplies and prevent flooding. More recently these waters have been regulated by government agencies to protect water quality and the environment. Just as elements of the supply and flood control system were developed over time, so too have elements of water quality control been imposed on the system as new concerns have been identified. The joint authority of water allocation and water quality protection enables the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) to provide comprehensive protection for California 's waters. The State Water Board, through its water rights authority, administers and regulates water rights in the San Joaquin River and Bay-Delta to assure that water is being reasonably and beneficially used. The State Water Board, through its water quality authority and its implementation of the federal Clean Water Act, assures that the beneficial uses of water are protected. The beneficial uses of San Joaquin River and Bay-Delta water include municipal, industrial and agricultural water supply, and protection of fish and wildlife. To protect these beneficial uses, the San Joaquin River and Bay-Delta are regulated for, among other things, flow, salinity, dissolved oxygen, selenium, pesticides, and mercury.