History

It has long been recognized that many factors influence the abundance of various fish species in the Sacramento/San Joaquin Bay-Delta watershed. Water diversions have certainly played a role and have often been the focus of regulatory eff orts to restore fish populations. However, toxics, reduced spawning habitat, and water diversions which take fish as well as water have all contributed to the decline of aquatic species in the Bay-Delta watershed. No restoration strategy can be success ful without addressing the full range of impacts.

But it was not until the Bay-Delta Accord was signed in December 1994 that any comprehensive approach was developed to address the full range of impacts and begin the process of establishing a self-sustaining Delta ecosystem. Currently, this process is b eing spearheaded by the Ecosystem Roundtable, which is implementing the "Category III" Program called for in the Accord.

The Category III Program was established in spring 1995 to address non-flow factors that impact the health of the Bay-Delta ecosystem. These factors include unscreened diversions, waste discharge and pollution, legal and illegal fishing, exotic species, levees and channel alterations, and the need for riparian and wetland habitat restoration.

The 1994 Accord between California,the federal government, agricultural and urban water users, and environmental communities commits the signatories to the implementation and financing of Category III measures as an essential part of a comprehen sive ecosystem protection plan for the Bay-Delta estuary.

As part of the agreement, the water user community promised to contribute $10 million annually for three years toward Category III activities. Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) guaranteed the initial financing on be half of the water users. Since that time, MWD has contributed $20 million toward the program and intends to make its third and final $10 million installment in fall 1997. The following northern California water agencies have contributed an additional $1 .7 million: Alameda County Water District, Contra Costa Water District, East Bay Municipal Utility District, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, and Santa Clara Valley Water District.

Thus far, these funds have been used to implement 38 projects with a total Category III outlay of $21 million.

Ecosystem Roundtable

In November 1996, CALFED created the Roundtable to advise CALFED on the following: 1) coordination of restoration programs; 2) restoration priorities; 3) evaluation criteria; and 4) project selection. The Roundtable will make funding recommendations for stakeholder Category III contributions and the $60 million of Category III funds contained in Proposition 204. The Roundtable is also expected to make recommendations on future federal Category III contributions. CALFED has requested that the Roundtabl e look beyond the immediate funding sources at its disposal and provide policy guidance for all future Bay-Delta ecosystem investments to ensure consistency with CALFED's long-term program.

The Ecosystem Roundtable is an important milestone in the evolution of the Bay-Delta institutional framework. Ultimately, many stakeholders are viewing a public/private "Bay-Delta Conservancy" as the final milestone in this process. Such a Conservancy c ould serve as a significant implementing entity for CALFED and would most likely be established in early-1999 after CALFED has completed its environmental review process.