Of the seven, four are appointed by the Governor, one each by the Senate and Assembly, and the seventh is the Chair of the Delta Protection Commission.
Created by the legislature in 2009, the Delta Stewardship Council is composed of members who represent different parts of the state and offer diverse expertise in fields such as agriculture, science, the environment, and public service. The Council's work is supported by an independent board of nationally and internationally prominent scientists.
06/01/2026
Save the date! We're holding the following public meetings this month. 📅
🔵 Thursday, June 18 – Delta Plan Interagency Implementation Committee's Restoration Subcommittee Meeting
🔵 Thursday, June 25 – Delta Stewardship Council Meeting
Meeting notices detailing agendas, public comment opportunities, logistics, and more will be available on our events web page 10 days prior to the meeting here ➡️ https://rebrand.ly/858f78.
05/19/2026
Our next Council meeting will be held on May 28 at the California Natural Resources Agency building and online via Zoom, starting at 9:30 AM. 📅
Among other agenda items:
🔵 Delta Lead Scientist Dr. Lisamarie Windham-Myers will explore the impacts of climate change on California's snowpack and what that could mean for California's water supply and agricultural regions.
🔵 Delta Science Program staff will present the draft 2026 Delta Science Plan, Strengthening Science in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, for potential Council endorsement.
🔵 Delta Stewardship Council staff will provide a preview of the upcoming Delta Plan Interagency Implementation Committee's Restoration Subcommittee meeting and Restoration Forum.
🔵 California Department of Water Resources (DWR) staff will present the Delta Levees Investment Strategy Annual Report.
Learn more in the meeting notice ➡️ https://rebrand.ly/mtlfm7e.
05/01/2026
Mark your calendars! We’re holding the following public meetings this month. 📅
🔵 Thursday and Friday, May 21-22 – Delta Independent Science Board Tour and Meeting
🔵 Thursday, May 28 – Delta Stewardship Council Meeting
Meeting notices detailing agendas, public comment opportunities, logistics, and more will be available on our events web page 10 days prior to the meeting here ➡️ https://rebrand.ly/858f78.
Calling all scientists, don’t miss out on an exciting opportunity to tour one of the nation’s largest resource recovery facilities of its kind with the Delta Independent Science Board on May 21! 📅
Senior Environmental Scientist Edmund Yu is on-site at the Sacramento Area Sewer District - SacSewer EchoWater Facility in the video below with details about what you can expect to learn.
RSVPs are due by May 8. Space is limited, find out how to secure your spot on the tour here: https://rebrand.ly/2db2f9.
04/28/2026
On April 23, 2026, the Council voted 6-1 to remand the project on two Delta Plan policies. The Council denied all other appeals raised by ten separate appellant groups.
“The decision reflects the Delta Stewardship Council doing what it was created to do – providing independent oversight to ensure that major projects affecting the Delta are consistent with the Delta Plan,” said Council Chair Julie Lee. “The California Department of Water Resources must now address the identified matters fully before the Delta Conveyance Project can move forward.”
Before proceeding with the project, the DWR must file a new certification of consistency addressing:
1️⃣ the improvement of habitat conditions for the nonnative invasive golden mussel, and
2️⃣ potential conflicts involving the Delta Conveyance Project’s Twin Cities Complex and Sac Sewer’s Harvest Water, addressing ecosystem protection, agricultural use, groundwater recharge, and Sandhill Crane habitat.
Additionally, as part of the Council’s decision and consistent with its independent oversight role, the DWR must submit annual implementation reports to the Council starting March 1, 2028.
The FINAL Decision is available on deltacouncil.ca.gov, along with more information about the certification and appeal processes.
🔗https://deltacouncil.ca.gov/pdf/covered-actions/2026-04-27-council-decision-d20257-combined.pdf
🔗 https://deltacouncil.ca.gov/covered-actions/
The recording of the April 23 meeting is available via AdminMonitor.
🔗 https://california.adminmonitor.com/delta/meeting/3510
On April 23, the Delta Stewardship Council voted 6-1 to remand the Delta Conveyance Project to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) as inconsistent with two Delta Plan policies. 🗳️
The Council denied all other appeals of DWR's Certification of Consistency with the Delta Plan, raised by 10 separate appellant groups.
🔗 https://conta.cc/3P09eyK
Before proceeding with the project, the DWR must file a new certification of consistency that addresses the following.
1️⃣ Issues related to the non-native invasive golden mussel.
2️⃣ Land use conflicts involving the Delta Conveyance Project and Sac Sewer Harvest Water program concerning ecosystem protection, agricultural use, groundwater recharge, and Sandhill Crane habitat.
Additionally, as part of the Council’s statutory oversight role, the DWR must submit annual implementation reports to the Council starting March 1, 2028.
The meeting recording is available here ➡️ https://california.adminmonitor.com/delta/meeting/3510. 🎥
04/22/2026
Earth Day is a reminder that protecting our environment takes more than good intentions – it takes good information. 🌍 Recently, the Delta Stewardship Council partnered with the San Francisco Estuary Institute / Aquatic Science Center, San Francisco Estuary Partnership, and the California Department of Water Resources to invest in something foundational: better data.
Together, these agencies delivered the first-ever consistent, high-resolution elevation map of California’s San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary – improving how we plan for floods, restore habitat, and manage water across the region. 🗺️
As Delta Lead Scientist Dr. Lisamarie Windham-Myers explains in her new blog, "Science gives us the information we need to make smart decisions. It reduces guesswork so that we can prepare rather than react." That’s what environmental protection looks like in action – collaboration, innovation, and investing in the science behind smarter decisions. 📈
Read Dr. Windham-Myers’ new blog, "Partnership Takes Delta Science to New Heights," here ➡️ https://rebrand.ly/f265aa.
04/21/2026
Please note: The public comment portion of our April 23 Council meeting is expected to begin at approximately 10:45 AM. ⏰
🔗 Meeting notice ➡️ https://rebrand.ly/38ffad
🔗 DRAFT Decision ➡️ https://rebrand.ly/c5ce0d
04/21/2026
A DRAFT Decision on appeals of the California Department of Water Resources’ Certification of Consistency No. C20257 for the Delta Conveyance Project is now available on the Delta Stewardship Council’s meetings web page (deltacouncil.ca.gov/council-meetings) and the Delta Conveyance Project information web page (deltacouncil.ca.gov/covered-actions/delta-conveyance-project).
The Council will consider and may adopt the DRAFT Decision at its public meeting on April 23-24, 2026 (rebrand.ly/7255e5). The meeting will begin at 9:00 AM.
Access the DRAFT Decision: deltacouncil.ca.gov/pdf/covered-actions/2026-04-20-draft-decision-for-public-review.pdf. 🔗