Restore The San Francisco Bay Area Delta

The start of El Niño’s impacts on California’s atmospheric weather patterns may be felt as soon as this week, according to a recent Sacramento Bee article. Experts suggest the first atmospheric river of the season may arrive by mid-November, meaning areas such as the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta could experience large amounts of rainfall within the next few days.

Sacramento Bee meteorologist Sean Macaday explains that the changing atmospheric conditions combined with excess moisture could create the conditions for one or two large rain events between November 11-16. Early projections show that Sacramento could receive its entire November rain average of nearly two inches within just a few days. Northern California in particular is expected to see high levels of precipitation.

As El Niño continues to strengthen over the next few months, atmospheric rivers are expected to become increasingly frequent throughout our region, bringing more rainfall and potential flood risks for the region. With this in mind, we urge Delta communities to stay informed about changing weather conditions and to prepare for possible flooding events.

Read the full article here and see below for local flood resources and readiness information.

The Bay-Delta estuary contains several areas that are vulnerable to flooding, which could cause significant impacts to at-risk communities. Use the resources below to report flooding, seek local assistance, or receive emergency updates during a flood or heavy-rain event.

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY – Visit www.cwsalerts.com or text your zipcode to 888777 to get updates sent directly to your phone

SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY – Visit SJReady.org or call 211

SACRAMENTO COUNTY – Visit 211sacramento.org or call 211 or 1-916-498-1000 or toll-free at 1-844-546-1464

YOLO COUNTY – Visit 211sacramento.org or call 211 or 530-392-4182 or toll-free at 855-866-1783

SOLANO COUNTY – Visit www.alertsolano.org or call (707) 784-1600

In a Politico piece released last Thursday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries pushed back on the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (S. 5653). The bill, which would limit environmental reviews and judicial oversight of infrastructure projects, could lead to detrimental health and environmental impacts for the Delta. 

The article quotes a Jeffries spokesperson regarding the need for more constructive involvement with House Democrats, adding that “the current Senate bill under consideration falls short in several areas, including the manner in which [National Environmental Policy Act] reform is undertaken and the failure to adequately protect tribal sovereignty.”

The Senate is expected to hold a procedural vote on the bill on Monday, Nov. 9. 

Read more from Politico here and please keep reading below for steps you can take to help stop S. 5653.

URGENT ACTION ALERT: New permitting bill would devastate ecosystems and Tribal sovereignty

This Monday, November 9, the Senate is expected to hold its first floor vote on S.5653, the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 (BAAJA).

If passed, this proposed legislation would significantly alter federal environmental review processes and weaken protections for waterways, public lands, wildlife, and Tribal sovereignty.

TAKE ACTION: Contact your Senator and Representative today!

Contact your Senators and Representatives and urge them to oppose S. 5653. Tell them to work with Representative Jared Huffman to advance energy developments and infrastructure improvements WITHOUT placing our waterways, public lands, communities and ecosystems at risk.

What is the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 (BAAJA)?

On September 30, 2026, Senators Shelley Moore Capito, Mike Lee, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Martin Heinrich introduced Senate Bill 5653, the “Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026”, a sweeping permitting reform bill that threatens to undermine the bedrock environmental laws protecting tribes, communities, and ecosystems across the country. 

SB 5653, would make federal approvals for water, energy, and carbon dioxide projects faster to issue, harder to challenge, and very hard to revisit. For the Delta, the core risks are a weaker State role over water quality, shorter and narrower Endangered Species Act reviews for listed fish, and permits for projects such as the Delta Conveyance Project or Class VI carbon storage wells that would be locked in once issued. Tribes lose ground in federal consultation on projects, and face significant overstep of their sovereignty. Although there are important energy reforms in this bill,  any proposed benefits from the legislation are at the expense of environmental safeguards, state authority, and the health and safety of Californians.

Contact your Senator and Representative today!

We ask that you call and/or email your Senator and Representative urging them to oppose SB 5653. 

Find your representative here. 

After finding your Senator and Representative’s information, tell them that SB 5653:

• Proposes to roll back federal environmental protections. Weaker rules could allow major water infrastructure projects, like the Delta tunnel, to bypass federal environmental reviews and limit state oversight and legal challenges.
• Would cause significant harm to already endangered Delta species such as Delta smelt, longfin smelt, and salmon. Environmental reviews would become limited and lack of scientific research would negatively impact future project decisions.
• Does not allow agencies to reinitiate project permits to consider new research or consider newly discovered impacts, raising enforcement concerns.
• Jeopardizes Tribal sovereignty, limiting and creating exemptions for review processes central to protecting Tribal cultural sites, introducing federal oversight of Tribal Heritage Preservation Officers that far oversteps, and creating significant limits to judicial review.
• And to work with Representative Jared Huffman in developing a better version of the bill that goes through the full policy process.

Thank you for standing with us and taking the time to speak up for communities, Tribes, and ecosystems that depend on the health of the Bay-Delta estuary.

In solidarity,
Restore the Delta Team

Dear friends,

Today, Monday, November 9 the Senate is expected to hold it’s first floor vote on S.5653, the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 (BAAJA).

If passed, this proposed legislation would significantly alter federal environmental review processes and weaken protections for waterways, public lands, wildlife, and Tribal sovereignty.

TAKE ACTION: Contact your Senator and Representative today!

Contact your Senators and Representatives and urge them to oppose S. 5653. Tell them to work with Representative Jared Huffman to advance energy developments and infrastructure improvements WITHOUT placing our waterways, public lands, communities and ecosystems at risk.

What is the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 (BAAJA)?

On September 30, 2026, Senators Shelley Moore Capito, Mike Lee, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Martin Heinrich introduced Senate Bill 5653, the “Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026”, a sweeping permitting reform bill that threatens to undermine the bedrock environmental laws protecting tribes, communities, and ecosystems across the country. 

SB 5653, would make federal approvals for water, energy, and carbon dioxide projects faster to issue, harder to challenge, and very hard to revisit. For the Delta, the core risks are a weaker State role over water quality, shorter and narrower Endangered Species Act reviews for listed fish, and permits for projects such as the Delta Conveyance Project or Class VI carbon storage wells that would be locked in once issued. Tribes lose ground in federal consultation on projects, and face significant overstep of their sovereignty. Although there are important energy reforms in this bill,  any proposed benefits from the legislation are at the expense of environmental safeguards, state authority, and the health and safety of Californians.

TAKE ACTION: Contact your Senator and Representative TODAY!

We ask that you call and/or email your Senator and Representative urging them to oppose SB 5653.

Find your representative here. 

After finding your Senator and Representative’s information, tell them that SB 5653:

• Proposes to roll back federal environmental protections. Weaker rules could allow major water infrastructure projects, like the Delta tunnel, to bypass federal environmental reviews and limit state oversight and legal challenges.
• Would cause significant harm to already endangered Delta species such as Delta smelt, longfin smelt, and salmon. Environmental reviews would become limited and lack of scientific research would negatively impact future project decisions.
• Does not allow agencies to reinitiate project permits to consider new research or consider newly discovered impacts, raising enforcement concerns.
• Jeopardizes Tribal sovereignty, limiting and creating exemptions for review processes central to protecting Tribal cultural sites, introducing federal oversight of Tribal Heritage Preservation Officers that far oversteps, and creating significant limits to judicial review.
• And to work with Representative Jared Huffman in developing a better version of the bill that goes through the full policy process.

Thank you for standing with us and taking the time to speak up for communities, Tribes, and ecosystems that depend on the health of the Bay-Delta estuary.

In solidarity,
Restore the Delta Team

A recent article from Law 360 highlights the uncertain future of the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (S. 5653), or BAAJA, now that Democrats have gained control of the house and senate in the midterm elections.  The article examines how the shift in power could affect the troublesome bill as the Senate prepares for a vote during the upcoming November 9 lame-duck session.

The bill, which would limit environmental reviews and judicial oversight of infrastructure projects, has growing opposition from Democratic lawmakers, Tribal groups, and environmental organizations. Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., who is expected to take the chairman’s gavel of the House Committee on Natural Resources, has publicly criticized the BAAJA’s permitting changes and has called for Democrats to rewrite the legislation once they’ve regained control of Congress.  

For the Delta, the BAAJA threatens California’s authority over water quality, limits review of at-risk fish species under the Endangered Species Act, and inevitably locks in permits for projects such as the Delta Conveyance Project or Class VI carbon storage wells that would negatively impact the region. Additionally, Tribes would be overlooked in federal consultation on projects and face significant overstep of their sovereignty. 

Although some Democratic lawmakers support the passage of this bill, any proposed benefits from the legislation are at the expense of environmental safeguards, state authority, and the health and safety of Californians.  Restore the Delta urges all Bay-Delta area representatives to work with potential chair, Rep. Huffman, to address the bill’s harmful language.

Read the full article here.

URGENT ACTION ALERT: New permitting bill would devastate ecosystems and Tribal sovereignty

The date is approaching. This Monday, November 9, the Senate is expected to hold its first floor vote on S.5653, the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 (BAAJA).

If passed, this proposed legislation would significantly alter federal environmental review processes and weaken protections for waterways, public lands, wildlife, and Tribal sovereignty.

TAKE ACTION: Contact your Senator and Representative today!

Contact your Senators and Representatives and urge them to oppose S. 5653. Tell them to work with Representative Jared Huffman to advance energy developments and infrastructure improvements WITHOUT placing our waterways, public lands, communities and ecosystems at risk.

What is the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 (BAAJA)?

On September 30, 2026, Senators Shelley Moore Capito, Mike Lee, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Martin Heinrich introduced Senate Bill 5653, the “Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026”, a sweeping permitting reform bill that threatens to undermine the bedrock environmental laws protecting tribes, communities, and ecosystems across the country. 

SB 5653, would make federal approvals for water, energy, and carbon dioxide projects faster to issue, harder to challenge, and very hard to revisit. For the Delta, the core risks are a weaker State role over water quality, shorter and narrower Endangered Species Act reviews for listed fish, and permits for projects such as the Delta Conveyance Project or Class VI carbon storage wells that would be locked in once issued. Tribes lose ground in federal consultation on projects, and face significant overstep of their sovereignty. Although there are important energy reforms in this bill,  any proposed benefits from the legislation are at the expense of environmental safeguards, state authority, and the health and safety of Californians.

Contact your Senator and Representative today!

We ask that you call and/or email your Senator and Representative urging them to oppose SB 5653. 

Find your representative here. 

After finding your Senator and Representative’s information, tell them that SB 5653:

• Proposes to roll back federal environmental protections. Weaker rules could allow major water infrastructure projects, like the Delta tunnel, to bypass federal environmental reviews and limit state oversight and legal challenges.
• Would cause significant harm to already endangered Delta species such as Delta smelt, longfin smelt, and salmon. Environmental reviews would become limited and lack of scientific research would negatively impact future project decisions.
• Does not allow agencies to reinitiate project permits to consider new research or consider newly discovered impacts, raising enforcement concerns.
• Jeopardizes Tribal sovereignty, limiting and creating exemptions for review processes central to protecting Tribal cultural sites, introducing federal oversight of Tribal Heritage Preservation Officers that far oversteps, and creating significant limits to judicial review.
• And to work with Representative Jared Huffman in developing a better version of the bill that goes through the full policy process.

Thank you for standing with us and taking the time to speak up for communities, Tribes, and ecosystems that depend on the health of the Bay-Delta estuary.

In solidarity,
Restore the Delta Team

By: Morgen Snyder, Director of Policy and Programs

On September 30, 2026, Senators Shelley Moore Capito, Mike Lee, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Martin Heinrich introduced a sweeping permitting reform bill that threatens to undermine the bedrock environmental laws protecting tribes, communities, and ecosystems across the country. The “Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026” would set the stage for weakened oversight of industry-caused environmental impacts by gutting key provisions of the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, the National Heritage Preservation Act, and the National Environmental Protection Act.

These foundational environmental laws were hard-won and are critical to ensuring the health of our communities and ecosystems. In 1969, the Cuyahoga River in Ohio caught on fire due to the toxins, oils, and waste clogging the waterways. That same year, Santa Barbara’s beaches were stained black from the worst oil spill in U.S. history at the time. Polluters went unchecked, dumping toxins into our rivers and streams. Only one third of all waterways were safe to swim in. Because of this crisis, Congress took action with the creation of the Environmental Protection Act in 1970. Only two years later, seeing the growing threats facing our waterways, the federal legislature came together to override President Nixon’s veto of the Clean Water Act, reaffirming the need to safeguard  waterways, communities, and ecosystems across the country.

Fifty years after the Clean Water Act was established, over 50% of U.S. waterways remain impaired. That means over half of our waterways are not swimmable, fishable, or drinkable due to continued contamination. Yet today, federal legislators threaten to rollback critical protections by loosening environmental permits, and limiting legal challenges and state authority over water and energy projects. The proposed legislation would rollback critical Endangered Species Act protections and significantly limit what challenges can be brought under the National Environmental Policy Act.

Importantly, this bill also jeopardizes Tribal sovereignty, limiting and creating exemptions for review processes central to protecting Tribal cultural sites, introducing federal oversight of Tribal Heritage Preservation Officers that far oversteps, and creating significant limits to judicial review.

Energy and water development cannot come at the expense of environmental safeguards, state and Tribal authority and the health and wellbeing of Californians. Just over 50 years ago, we vowed never to allow another U.S. river to catch fire. There is no reason for Legislators to fold to the whims of this administration. Legislators must reject this proposal and instead ensure any permitting reform goes hand in hand with the protection of our environment and communities.

Find your representative here and urge them to oppose SB 5653.

Following two days of public comments opposing the proposal, the State Water Board approved Governor Newsom’s updated Bay-Delta Plan centering voluntary agreements. 

As the Los Angeles Times reports, environmental and Tribal representatives condemned the exclusionary framework and lack of transparency surrounding the decision-making process. They criticized “what they described as backroom deals intended to help powerful water suppliers and farming companies” at the expense of the already fragile Delta Estuary and California taxpayers.

The State Water Board’s decision came despite widespread public opposition and limited public access to information. State agencies used confidentiality agreements to restrict access to scientific data and discussions central to the plan’s development. As Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians Vice Chair Malissa Tayaba told the board members: “You are on the wrong side of history, and we will prevail.”

The likely next governor of California, Xavier Becerra, will be left to clean up the mess. Implementation of the widely criticized plan faces further uncertainty as the federal government threatens to withdraw from the plan, taking several hundred million dollars in funding with it. As Becerra prepares for the upcoming election and a possible transition into office, the San Francisco Chronicle reports that “environmentalists, tribes and fishing groups have said they will urge him to prevent the Bay Delta Plan from moving forward.”

Read more coverage of the decision below:

• COMMENTARY: Reject the discriminatory, illegitimate, and harmful Voluntary Agreements. Maven’s Notebook.  
• RESTORE THE DELTA: Tribes and environmental groups slam State Water Board’s anticipated adoption of updated Bay-Delta Plan, vow further action. Maven’s Notebook.
• Fierce debate as California changes course in central water hub. The Los Angeles Times. 
• Has the Trump administration doomed Newsom’s water plan?. CalMatters. 
• California regulators adopt major overhaul to state water policy, drawing critics. The San Francisco Chronicle. 
• California approves sweeping Bay-Delta water plan as environmentalists push back. Courthouse News Service.  
• Newsom races to lock in his water legacy. POLITICO.

Groups condemn the Newsom administration’s voluntary agreement framework, pledging to fight for water rights, environmental protections, and due process

For Immediate Release:

October 39, 2026

Contact:
Ashley Castaneda, ashley@restorethedelta.org

SACRAMENTO — In anticipation of the State Water Resources Control Board’s vote to adopt the updated Bay-Delta Plan, tribal leaders, environmental advocates, and Delta residents gathered at a press conference to condemn the decision and pledge further action to defend California’s water rights, protect critical ecosystems, and ensure meaningful public participation in decisions affecting the state’s water future.  

Representatives from the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, Little Manila Rising and Restore the Delta, alongside Delta community members, denounced the plan, arguing that it entrenches the very inequities and ecological damage the update should address while sidelining tribes and environmental justice communities.

At the center of the plan newly adopted by the State Water Board are so-called “voluntary agreements”, privately negotiated deals allowing powerful water districts to offer limited flow commitments and funding in exchange for exemptions from stronger, enforceable regulatory requirements.

“For years we have raised our voices against a plan based on exclusionary voluntary agreements. For years we have explained how this plan would undermine our sovereignty and ways of life. For years we have asked the State Water Board to do its part to repair the legacy of atrocities committed against California tribes. And for years our pleas have fallen on deaf ears,” said Vice Chair Malissa Tayaba, Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians. “But despite the Board’s approval of this discriminatory and destructive plan, we will continue to speak up and demand the state government do right by native people. We hope that the next Governor will give meaning to the apologies by stopping these voluntary agreements, establishing regulations to keep rivers flowing, and giving tribes a seat at the table.”

Tribal leaders and environmental groups have long warned that the voluntary agreements fall short of what science demands and lack the enforceable protections needed to safeguard threatened fish species, restore critical freshwater flows, and address harmful algal blooms (HABs). 

“This plan fails the four million people living in the Delta, the 12 million more who live in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, and all Californians. Implementing the voluntary agreements will further diminish their economies, public health, and access to clean water,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Executive Director at Restore the Delta. “Governor Newsom has failed in his responsibility to protect people, safeguard all beneficial uses of water, and preserve the health of the Bay-Delta watershed. By approving this plan, his administration is leaving behind an implementation nightmare. When this plan fails, the next Governor will be left to clean up the mess.”

“When the future of Bay-Delta water is stretched between so many competing uses, enforceable protection from harmful algal blooms is what waits. And the cost of waiting doesn’t land evenly. The board must adopt statewide cyanotoxin standards and objectives on a firm and public timeline,” said Gloria Valencia Cruz, Environmental Justice Advocacy Coordinator with Little Manila Rising.

Advocates also condemned the secretive process through which the agreements were negotiated, citing the exclusion of tribes and environmental justice organizations from key discussions. They further criticized state agencies for using confidentiality agreements to restrict access to scientific data and discussions central to the plan’s development. 

“If Donald Trump was the Governor of California today he would be ‘bigly’ thrilled. The Bay-Delta Plan update is going just the way he would want. Give all his cronies much if not all of what they want and dismiss the wants and needs of everyone else. He would probably say, ‘I don’t care about those whiny environmental groups, or tribes, or fishermen, or disadvantaged groups, or even the average citizen, that’s all DEI anyway. Heck, we’re going to make and are making a fortune.’ Humm, maybe he is Governor,” said Gary Mulcahy, Government Liaison with the Winnemem Wintu Tribe. 

The groups contend that the plan places an excessive financial burden on California taxpayers while failing to provide critical protections needed for the Bay-Delta ecosystem, native fish populations, and communities that depend on healthy freshwater flows. 

They also warned that the cost of voluntary agreements could escalate dramatically if other landowners secure concessions similar to those in the Newsom administration’s controversial Fair Ranch water agreement, which drew scrutiny over its $180 million price tag. Under that scenario, the total cost of the voluntary agreements could reach $5.6 billion, more than five times the initial estimate of $1.1 billion, with taxpayers ultimately footing the bill. 

Speakers vowed to continue fighting the plan and its voluntary agreement framework, nodding to further action to defend tribal and public water rights, protect California’s already imperiled ecosystems, and demand transparency, accountability, and a meaningful role for affected communities in major water management decisions.

“The law should serve as a baseline for equity and reparative justice to address California’s history of discriminatory water governance,” said Eli Calhoun, Student Attorney, Yale Environmental Justice Law and Advocacy Clinic, Counsel for the Delta Tribal Environmental Coalition (DTEC). “Instead, this plan entrenches historical inequities by ensuring that those who historically monopolized the watershed continue to dictate flow and temperature regimes at the expense of Tribes, environmental justice communities, and local ecosystems.”

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As the State Water Board prepares to adopt the updated Bay-Delta Plan this week, San Francisco Chronicle reporting reveals significant flaws surrounding the proposal’s implementation and funding.  

The article points to the lack of buy-in from major water suppliers, including East Bay Municipal Utility District and Santa Clara Valley Water District, as a source of uncertainty for the viability of the updated Bay-Delta Plan. Water agencies that reject the updated plan could challenge the regulations in court, potentially leading to years of litigation. 

The article also notes that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has threatened non-participation in the voluntary agreements that underlie the plan, and has promised to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in funding. Critics have long warned that the federal government cannot be relied upon as a partner in complying with state laws and regulatory decisions designed to protect Delta ecosystems, Tribes, and Delta communities. 

“It just doesn’t work,” said Barry Nelson, an advisor for the Golden State Salmon Association. “It’s like having a car with two steering wheels, two accelerators, and drivers wanting to go in opposite directions.”

Without federal participation, the state could lose roughly 25% of the needed funding for implementation of the updated plan. And given that initial estimates for the plan’s costs are likely understated, the financial burden that will fall on California taxpayers could grow enormously.

Read the full article here. 

The Los Angeles Times took a deep dive into the controversy surrounding the Newsom administration’s agreement to pay a private investment firm $180 million for a relatively small amount of additional water for Sacramento River salmon.

At roughly $36,000 per acre-foot, dozens of times what cities pay for a single year of water on average, the water comes at a steep price. As Barry Nelson, an advisor for the Golden State Salmon Association, told the LA Times, “This is extraordinarily expensive water… [it] seems like a really bad investment for the public.” 

In addition to its exorbitant cost to California taxpayers, the agreement leaves the amount of water provided in any given year largely up to Reclamation District 108.

Peter Drekmeier, policy director at Yosemite Rivers Alliance, raised similar concerns about the agreement’s value and accountability: “The taxpayers are expected to pay top dollar for an amount of water that’s not really going to move the needle, and that’s just wrong… How do you track this water? Are we really getting what we’re paying for? We know it’s really, really expensive water, and we don’t know how much of it’s actually going to end up in the ecosystem.”

Meanwhile, the Newsom administration is after more agreements like this one that environmental groups cite as a prime example of the types of deals that voluntary agreements depend on in the Bay-Delta Plan update. On October 28-29, the State Water Resources Control Board is scheduled to consider the voluntary agreements (VAs) as part of new rules governing water in the Delta.

Environmental groups across the Delta and California are raising concerns about these agreements’ impact on critical ecosystems and cost to taxpayers. With the total price tag potentially reaching $5.6 billion compared to initial estimates of $1.1 billion, advocates are calling on the State Water Board to recognize the VA framework as costly and ineffective.

Read the full Los Angeles Times piece here. 

Restore the Delta and the Mormon Slough Restoration Association release cost-benefit analysis and detailed restoration plans

For Immediate Release:

October 19, 2026

Contact:
Ashley Castaneda, ashley@restorethedelta.org

STOCKTON, CA — Today, Restore the Delta and the Mormon Slough Restoration Association reached a new milestone through the release of the Mormon Slough Restoration Project Economic Cost-Benefit Analysis alongside an Art Installation Guide and Project StoryMap, unveiling clear community benefits and resources for Stockton residents to envision the future of Mormon Slough.

The groups have been working with the community since 2023 to envision the slough as a healthier, safer, and more vibrant greenway after decades of disinvestment and neglect. Pivotal to meeting this important milestone was grant funding from North Valley THRIVE’s Catalyst Fund, pushing forward the group’s hopes of reconnecting Stockton’s communities with their waterways while improving flood protection, environmental health, and creating economic opportunity. 

“The economic case for restoring Mormon Slough is clear. The project will result in nearly $430 million in net benefits to communities currently underserved by park space, create hundreds of jobs, and support future community-driven economic development,” said Michelle Mendoza, Flood and Land Restoration Program Manager at Restore the Delta. “Understanding what job opportunities become available for locals by restoring the slough is exciting.”

The cost-benefit analysis reveals that plans around the 6.3 mile waterway would create workforce development opportunities, increase property values, improve critical habitats, and activate recreational activities. The report also points to potential ecological benefits such as improved air quality, cooling, and flood control upgrades. 

“Restoration of Mormon Slough is a sound investment that will create good jobs in Stockton,” said Holly Michael, the lead economist on the report. “The value of public benefits such as recreation and flood control are 4 to 5 times higher than the estimated costs. Adding additional greenspace and parks to this underserved area will help Stockton reach the state goal of providing 3 acres of parkland for every 1,000 residents.”

Following a year of direct community outreach, the restoration team also released an Art Installation Guide to help Stockton residents envision a transformed Mormon Slough. The guide, created by HATCH Workshop, details design opportunities, creative approaches to restoration, and structural challenges that will need to be addressed as the project continues. It takes a particularly close look at two pilot sites, the Emergency Food Bank and Solari Ranch.

“This report is meant to serve as an introduction to the restoration area, as well as provide food for thought, technical recommendations, historical context, and leads for deeper independent research,” said Elazar Abraham, Co-Founder & Executive Director of HATCH Workshop. “We believe that project complexities should be shared transparently, and effective community engagement requires giving the community time and resources to learn at their own pace.”

The restoration team also released a Project StoryMap produced by the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) showcasing the slough’s history, ecology, and future potential. Through maps, photographs, and project information, the StoryMap illustrates how restoring Mormon Slough could contribute to a more resilient and connected Stockton. 

“Researching the history of the Mormon Slough revealed how important this forgotten waterway has been for supporting the people and wildlife in the area now known as Stockton. Highlighting some of this rich history through the StoryMap gives community members the knowledge of how Mormon Slough has shaped the environment and how it continues to play a role in the present-day experience of Stockton,” said Kat Palermo, GIS Specialist at the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI). “From being a vital lifeline for indigenous villages, to a major industrial corridor in the 1890s, to the neglected state it is experiencing today, the Mormon Slough continues to be a connecting thread across space and time in this region.”

The project is grounded in collaboration with the Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians to ensure the restoration reflects Indigenous knowledge and priorities.

“Restoring our environment is not just a duty for the Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians; it is a testament to our shared responsibility for peace and healing. Together, we can create a future where every Tribal and non-Tribal community thrives, and the voices of marginalized individuals are heard,” said Jesse Galvan, Tribal Historic Preservation Office Coordinator.

The team behind this project has also developed conceptual designs for the two pilot sites along the lower six-mile length of the Mormon Slough, a site behind the Emergency Food Bank and a second site at Solari Ranch. These two sites are intended to serve as early project demonstrations supporting long-term restoration efforts along the slough.

The conceptual designs were informed by a technical study conducted by River Partners in 2025, along with site context, design requirements, opportunities and constraints, and high-level visioning. Community engagement also played a pivotal role in shaping the designs, with more than 80 residents reviewing the successive drafts of the concept designs and sharing valuable feedback to help inform the project’s Art Installation guide and overall direction. Copies of the conceptual designs are available upon request, and individuals interested in learning more can contact Restore the Delta.

Collectively, the cost-benefit analysis, Art Installation Guide and StoryMap offer Stockton residents a package of resources examining Mormon Slough’s past and exploring the possibilities for its future through community-informed restoration plans. 

The Mormon Slough Restoration Project Economic Cost-Benefit Analysis and Conceptual Designs are available upon request.

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