Healthy Rivers and Landscapes offers a smarter way to protect our environment and manage California’s water future.
By Charley Wilson, Executive Director and CEO, Southern California Water Coalition
For decades, California has been fighting over the same water. How much should remain in our rivers? How much should be available for communities, farms, and businesses? And how do we protect endangered fish while providing reliable water for nearly 40 million Californians?
After years of studies, lawsuits, regulatory proceedings, and political battles, one thing should be clear: The status quo isn’t working. But replacing it with a decision that produces worse outcomes would be no improvement at all.
Native fish populations continue to struggle. Our rivers and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta face mounting environmental pressures. Meanwhile, millions of Californians depend on a water system increasingly challenged by climate extremes, aging infrastructure, and rising costs.
We cannot keep treating environmental protection and water reliability as competing goals. California needs both.
That is why the Southern California Water Coalition supports adoption of the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Program, commonly known as the Voluntary Agreements. But for it to succeed, the State Water Resources Control Board must get the decision right by ensuring enforceable commitments, measurable outcomes, and credible science.
From command and control to real-time management
California cannot solve tomorrow’s water challenges by giving yesterday’s command-and-control approach a new name.
Traditional regulation relies heavily on prescribed flows and fixed requirements, assuming compliance will restore ecosystems. Yet native fish populations continue to struggle, and rigid prescriptions cannot respond quickly to changing river conditions.
Rivers do not follow regulatory calendars. Storms, droughts, temperatures, habitat and fish needs change, sometimes rapidly. Water managers must be able to respond to conditions as they unfold.
Healthy Rivers and Landscapes offers that opportunity by combining enforceable environmental water commitments with habitat restoration, scientific monitoring and adaptive management.
Water released at the wrong time or without functioning habitat may satisfy a rule without helping fish. California should not confuse regulatory compliance with environmental success.
Critics argue that prescribed flows provide stronger protection. But fish also need food, spawning grounds and functioning habitat. The timing and use of water matter as much as the amount.
Measure results, not regulatory compliance
The test is whether fish and habitat recover while communities retain reliable, affordable water supplies.
Are salmon surviving at higher rates? Are restored floodplains producing meaningful habitat? Are water releases timed to maximize ecological benefits?
Voluntary participation should never mean voluntary results.
The Delta must sustain both a healthy ecosystem and reliable conveyance. Healthy Rivers and Landscapes seeks to improve environmental outcomes through water commitments and habitat investments; its effectiveness must be demonstrated, not assumed.
Healthy Rivers and Landscapes can improve how we manage environmental water. Investments in conveyance, storage, and other infrastructure can modernize how we capture, move, and deliver it.
Southern California is home to more than half the state’s population and much of its economy. What happens in the Delta affects our water reliability, affordability, and economic future.
For more than four decades, SCWC has advocated for conservation, water use efficiency, diversified supplies, modern infrastructure, and environmental stewardship.
The cost of delay is real
Delay postpones habitat restoration and complicates water planning. Yet a rushed, poorly designed decision could entrench ineffective measures and deepen shortages.
The Board should establish an enforceable, science-based program that can adapt when evidence shows a different approach is needed.
It’s time to act
Urgency is no excuse for getting the decision wrong.
Healthy Rivers and Landscapes must enable real-time management, not merely repackage rigid flow restrictions.
That requires transparent monitoring, independent scientific review, enforceable commitments and corrective action when outcomes fall short.
Judge the decision by its results: healthier rivers, recovering fish populations and reliable water supplies.
The clock is running. Nature isn’t waiting. And California cannot afford to get this wrong.
Charley Wilson is Executive Director and CEO of the Southern California Water Coalition, a leading water education and advocacy organization representing more than 200 member agencies and organizations across Southern California. He is a longtime public affairs and water policy leader with more than 30 years of experience.
Note: The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Maven’s Notebook.
More coverage of the Voluntary Agreements on Maven’s Notebook …
Posted: November 3, 2026
By Dan Walters, Cal Matters This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Gray Davis became governor in 1999 and one of his first acts was to decree that there would be no major changes in water policy for eight years, which he assumed would be his two terms in office. Davis, a veteran politician who had climbed the political ladder one rung at a time, was well aware of the decades-long stalemate on the fundamental […]
Posted: October 30, 2026
Framework combines new flows, habitat restoration, science and enforceable rules to protect the Sacramento River and Delta From the State Water Board: In a landmark development driving large-scale ecosystem restoration and creating greater security for the heart of California’s water system, the State Water Resources Control Board today adopted modernized water quality protections for the Sacramento River and San Francisco Bay-Delta. The updated Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Watershed (Bay-Delta Plan) strengthens protections for […]
Posted: October 30, 2026
California approved Newsom’s Delta water rules, but Trump threatens to pull out and $740M with it. Water agencies that once backed the deal call it too strict; environmentalists say it’s too weak. By Rachel Becker, Cal Matters This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. California water regulators have approved a new plan overhauling how farms and cities take water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and rivers that feed it, setting up the next fight over Gov. […]
Posted: October 30, 2026
Under the changes, water agencies can commit to voluntary agreements governing water usage that some environmentalists and tribes argue undermine the health of the Bay-Delta system. By Alan Riquelmy, Courthouse News Service California’s water board late Thursday approved major changes to a massive water plan that drew strong emotions, and at times sharp rebukes, from hundreds of stakeholders including water agencies, conservationists and tribes. The plan sets water quality goals for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, a massive watershed […]
Posted: October 30, 2026
Groups condemn the Newsom administration’s voluntary agreement framework, pledging to fight for water rights, environmental protections, and due process From Restore the Delta: 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 […]
Posted: October 29, 2026
The Bay-Delta is a watershed that provides drinking and municipal water to some 30 million people, along with irrigation water for 4 million acres. From the Courthouse News Service People and agencies facing the effects of proposed changes to a major California water plan spoke in waves Wednesday, making their cases to the state’s water board. The State Water Resources Control Board is proposing amendments to the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta water quality control plan. The plan sets water […]
Posted: October 28, 2026
By Alex Rabidoux, Assistant General Manager, Solano County Water Agency For decades, California has debated how much water should flow through its rivers to help recover struggling salmon populations. But an equally important question deserves attention: What happens to that water once it enters the river and how much ecological benefit does it actually provide? Salmon evolved in rivers connected to expansive floodplains, wetlands and side channels. Seasonal flows created shallow, food-rich habitats where juvenile fish could feed, grow and […]
Posted: October 28, 2026
By the Delta Tribal Environmental Coalition, consisting of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Winnemem Wintu Tribe, Little Manila Rising, and Restore the Delta. California has formally apologized to tribes for state-sanctioned atrocities and committed to improving relationships between the state and tribal governments. Our elected leaders have also passed numerous laws intended to advance environmental justice outcomes. Yet, when it comes to decisions for the Sacramento-San Joaquin watershed, the Newsom administration has thrown tribes and environmental justice communities […]
Posted: October 28, 2026
From the Golden Gate Salmon Association Later this week, the State Water Resources Control Board is likely to adopt a final update to the Bay-Delta Plan. This plan is the state’s key document to protect the natural resources in the vast Bay-Delta estuary, as well as its Central Valley tributary rivers. This is the largest freshwater ecosystem in California and the largest estuary on the West Coast. Sacramento Valley salmon runs are the backbone of salmon fishing in California and […]
Posted: October 27, 2026
Healthy Rivers and Landscapes provides critical habitat for salmon while also ensuring our farms, cities and rural communities remain vibrant By Nicole Montna Van Vleck, President and CEO, Montna Farms Think about the last time you enjoyed a piece of sushi or took a bite of pizza. The rice wrapped around your favorite sushi roll, the tomato sauce, the cheese, perhaps a few peppers or olives sprinkled on top of that perfect slice. Chances are, you weren’t thinking about the […]
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GUEST COMMENTARY: California’s rivers cannot wait. Neither can its people.
Healthy Rivers and Landscapes offers a smarter way to protect our environment and manage California’s water future.
For decades, California has been fighting over the same water. How much should remain in our rivers? How much should be available for communities, farms, and businesses? And how do we protect endangered fish while providing reliable water for nearly 40 million Californians?
After years of studies, lawsuits, regulatory proceedings, and political battles, one thing should be clear: The status quo isn’t working. But replacing it with a decision that produces worse outcomes would be no improvement at all.
Native fish populations continue to struggle. Our rivers and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta face mounting environmental pressures. Meanwhile, millions of Californians depend on a water system increasingly challenged by climate extremes, aging infrastructure, and rising costs.
We cannot keep treating environmental protection and water reliability as competing goals. California needs both.
That is why the Southern California Water Coalition supports adoption of the Healthy Rivers and Landscapes Program, commonly known as the Voluntary Agreements. But for it to succeed, the State Water Resources Control Board must get the decision right by ensuring enforceable commitments, measurable outcomes, and credible science.
From command and control to real-time management
California cannot solve tomorrow’s water challenges by giving yesterday’s command-and-control approach a new name.
Traditional regulation relies heavily on prescribed flows and fixed requirements, assuming compliance will restore ecosystems. Yet native fish populations continue to struggle, and rigid prescriptions cannot respond quickly to changing river conditions.
Rivers do not follow regulatory calendars. Storms, droughts, temperatures, habitat and fish needs change, sometimes rapidly. Water managers must be able to respond to conditions as they unfold.
Healthy Rivers and Landscapes offers that opportunity by combining enforceable environmental water commitments with habitat restoration, scientific monitoring and adaptive management.
Water released at the wrong time or without functioning habitat may satisfy a rule without helping fish. California should not confuse regulatory compliance with environmental success.
Critics argue that prescribed flows provide stronger protection. But fish also need food, spawning grounds and functioning habitat. The timing and use of water matter as much as the amount.
Measure results, not regulatory compliance
The test is whether fish and habitat recover while communities retain reliable, affordable water supplies.
Are salmon surviving at higher rates? Are restored floodplains producing meaningful habitat? Are water releases timed to maximize ecological benefits?
Voluntary participation should never mean voluntary results.
The Delta must sustain both a healthy ecosystem and reliable conveyance. Healthy Rivers and Landscapes seeks to improve environmental outcomes through water commitments and habitat investments; its effectiveness must be demonstrated, not assumed.
Healthy Rivers and Landscapes can improve how we manage environmental water. Investments in conveyance, storage, and other infrastructure can modernize how we capture, move, and deliver it.
Southern California is home to more than half the state’s population and much of its economy. What happens in the Delta affects our water reliability, affordability, and economic future.
For more than four decades, SCWC has advocated for conservation, water use efficiency, diversified supplies, modern infrastructure, and environmental stewardship.
The cost of delay is real
Delay postpones habitat restoration and complicates water planning. Yet a rushed, poorly designed decision could entrench ineffective measures and deepen shortages.
The Board should establish an enforceable, science-based program that can adapt when evidence shows a different approach is needed.
It’s time to act
Urgency is no excuse for getting the decision wrong.
Healthy Rivers and Landscapes must enable real-time management, not merely repackage rigid flow restrictions.
That requires transparent monitoring, independent scientific review, enforceable commitments and corrective action when outcomes fall short.
Judge the decision by its results: healthier rivers, recovering fish populations and reliable water supplies.
The clock is running. Nature isn’t waiting. And California cannot afford to get this wrong.
Charley Wilson is Executive Director and CEO of the Southern California Water Coalition, a leading water education and advocacy organization representing more than 200 member agencies and organizations across Southern California. He is a longtime public affairs and water policy leader with more than 30 years of experience.
More coverage of the Voluntary Agreements on Maven’s Notebook …
DAN WALTERS: California adopted a new water plan. It’s unlikely to end the state’s water wars
By Dan Walters, Cal Matters This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Gray Davis became governor in 1999 and one of his first acts was to decree that there would be no major changes in water policy for eight years, which he assumed would be his two terms in office. Davis, a veteran politician who had climbed the political ladder one rung at a time, was well aware of the decades-long stalemate on the fundamental […]
PRESS RELEASE: State Water Board adopts innovative new model to protect California’s Bay-Delta, water and wildlife
Framework combines new flows, habitat restoration, science and enforceable rules to protect the Sacramento River and Delta From the State Water Board: In a landmark development driving large-scale ecosystem restoration and creating greater security for the heart of California’s water system, the State Water Resources Control Board today adopted modernized water quality protections for the Sacramento River and San Francisco Bay-Delta. The updated Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Watershed (Bay-Delta Plan) strengthens protections for […]
CAL MATTERS: Has the Trump administration doomed Newsom’s water plan?
California approved Newsom’s Delta water rules, but Trump threatens to pull out and $740M with it. Water agencies that once backed the deal call it too strict; environmentalists say it’s too weak. By Rachel Becker, Cal Matters This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. California water regulators have approved a new plan overhauling how farms and cities take water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and rivers that feed it, setting up the next fight over Gov. […]
COURTHOUSE NEWS: California water board passes major water plan after marathon session
Under the changes, water agencies can commit to voluntary agreements governing water usage that some environmentalists and tribes argue undermine the health of the Bay-Delta system. By Alan Riquelmy, Courthouse News Service California’s water board late Thursday approved major changes to a massive water plan that drew strong emotions, and at times sharp rebukes, from hundreds of stakeholders including water agencies, conservationists and tribes. The plan sets water quality goals for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, a massive watershed […]
RESTORE THE DELTA: Tribes and environmental groups slam State Water Board’s anticipated adoption of updated Bay-Delta Plan, vow further action
Groups condemn the Newsom administration’s voluntary agreement framework, pledging to fight for water rights, environmental protections, and due process From Restore the Delta: 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 […]
COURTHOUSE NEWS: California water board hears competing views on major water plan update
The Bay-Delta is a watershed that provides drinking and municipal water to some 30 million people, along with irrigation water for 4 million acres. From the Courthouse News Service People and agencies facing the effects of proposed changes to a major California water plan spoke in waves Wednesday, making their cases to the state’s water board. The State Water Resources Control Board is proposing amendments to the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta water quality control plan. The plan sets water […]
COMMENTARY: The science is clear: Restoring California’s salmon populations requires more than just water
By Alex Rabidoux, Assistant General Manager, Solano County Water Agency For decades, California has debated how much water should flow through its rivers to help recover struggling salmon populations. But an equally important question deserves attention: What happens to that water once it enters the river and how much ecological benefit does it actually provide? Salmon evolved in rivers connected to expansive floodplains, wetlands and side channels. Seasonal flows created shallow, food-rich habitats where juvenile fish could feed, grow and […]
COMMENTARY: Reject the discriminatory, illegitimate, and harmful Voluntary Agreements
By the Delta Tribal Environmental Coalition, consisting of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Winnemem Wintu Tribe, Little Manila Rising, and Restore the Delta. California has formally apologized to tribes for state-sanctioned atrocities and committed to improving relationships between the state and tribal governments. Our elected leaders have also passed numerous laws intended to advance environmental justice outcomes. Yet, when it comes to decisions for the Sacramento-San Joaquin watershed, the Newsom administration has thrown tribes and environmental justice communities […]
GUEST COMMENTARY: Fatal flaws in the State Water Board’s Draft Bay-Delta Plan Update
From the Golden Gate Salmon Association Later this week, the State Water Resources Control Board is likely to adopt a final update to the Bay-Delta Plan. This plan is the state’s key document to protect the natural resources in the vast Bay-Delta estuary, as well as its Central Valley tributary rivers. This is the largest freshwater ecosystem in California and the largest estuary on the West Coast. Sacramento Valley salmon runs are the backbone of salmon fishing in California and […]
GUEST COMMENTARY: Healthy Rivers and Landscapes: A healthier future for all of California
Healthy Rivers and Landscapes provides critical habitat for salmon while also ensuring our farms, cities and rural communities remain vibrant By Nicole Montna Van Vleck, President and CEO, Montna Farms Think about the last time you enjoyed a piece of sushi or took a bite of pizza. The rice wrapped around your favorite sushi roll, the tomato sauce, the cheese, perhaps a few peppers or olives sprinkled on top of that perfect slice. Chances are, you weren’t thinking about the […]
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