Delta Happenings
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In this issue
EVENTS
NEWS
OPPORTUNITIES: COMMENT, LEARN, LEAD
ROAD, BRIDGE, AND FERRY CLOSURES
HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS UPDATE
DELTA AGENCY MEETINGS
EVENTS
Here's a sampling of what's coming up in the next two weeks in the Delta:
- All Abilities Day at the Big Break Regional Shoreline in Oakley on Oct. 20.
- 4th Annual Fall Festival in downtown Rio Vista on Oct. 24.
- Delta Veterans Fishing Event and BBQ in Isleton on Oct. 24.
- Pumpkins and Potions Arts and Crafts Workshops in Knightsen on Oct. 28.
- Dia de Los Muertos Celebration in Antioch on Nov. 1
Get details on these events and more at our VisitCADelta events calendar.
Got an event for the calendar? Submit your Delta event here.
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NEWS
Delta Flood-Fight Training for Volunteers
As California prepares for potential flooding due to heavy rains in the coming El Niño winter, one Delta leader is pursuing an ambitious goal: teaching volunteers to respond to levee issues.
Read a Q&A with organizer Emily Pappalardo (a Delta Protection Advisory Committee member) here, and sign up for the Nov. 17 class here.
RELATED: It's California Flood Preparedness Week!
Visit our DeltaFloodReady.com website for some Delta-specific flood preparedness advice and resources.
Delta Stewardship Council Hears Appeals of Delta Conveyance Project Revised Certification
The Delta Stewardship Council held a hearing on Oct. 15 on three appeals of the Delta Conveyance Project's revised certification of consistency with the Delta Plan. A recording of the hearing is/will be available on YouTube.
The Delta Protection Commission testified at the hearing, after also submitting written comments (PDF) on the revised certification, as well as on the three appeals, on Sept. 18.
"The DCP is inconsistent with the Delta Plan and does not meet the legal mandates of the Delta Reform Act regarding Delta as Place," said Commissioner Oscar Villegas, a Yolo County Supervisor. "We respectfully request that the council remand the revised certification of consistency."
Villegas said the challenges facing the Delta "require collaborative, feasible, protective solutions. The DCP does not meet that standard."
The Project would create a 45-mile tunnel starting on the Sacramento River at the town of Hood and ending at the Bethany Reservoir west of Tracy, near the community of Mountain House in the South Delta.
The Commission appealed the original certification of consistency in November 2025, contending the Project would do lasting harm to the Delta, irrevocably altering “the rural character of the Delta, its economic pillars (agriculture and recreation), and its cultural heritage.” It also contended that other options that don’t harm the Delta had not been adequately considered.
The Commission's appeal was not upheld by the Council.
DPC comments on the project and its predecessors can be found here.
The Council will issue its decision on the three new appeals Dec. 9. A meeting notice will be posted here at least 10 days in advance.
State Auditor Recommends Action to Improve Levee Maintenance
An Oct. 13 State Auditor's report recommended that the Department of Water Resources take over levee maintenance when levee maintaining agencies (LMAs) fail to meet maintenance standards.
DWR found in 2025 that 32 LMAs (PDF) - including 14 in the legal Delta - were performing unacceptable maintenance. Some say they cannot afford to perform the maintenance. DWR says it would cost $165 million per year to fully address maintenance issues.
The report found unacceptable maintenance ratings were largely due to deficiencies in vegetation management and animal control. The cost of environmental permitting to do work is also an issue.
It also noted that the loss of the state Flood Maintenance Assistance Program, which lost funding in fiscal 2024-25, raised burdens on maintaining agencies.
The State Auditor recommends that:
- DWR immediately form state-managed maintenance areas when levee maintaining agencies aren't meeting federal requirements.
- DWR annually identify levee sites requiring repair in the next year and seek the funding needed to address all critical and serious sites.
- DWR develop a plan by next August to minimize impediments to completing levee and dam repair work.
- The Central Valley Flood Protection Board seek statutory changes needed to streamline its levee encroachment process and seek funding to complete its work.
Webb Tract Project Kicks Off
 State and local leaders gathered on Webb Tract Oct. 7 to mark the beginning of a 2,800-acre wetland restoration project aimed at giving new life to one of the Delta’s deeply subsided islands.
Supported by a $20.9 million grant from the Delta Conservancy, the project (PDF) on the Metropolitan Water District-owned Webb Tract seeks to slow subsidence, sequester carbon, and create habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife, while continuing to support the local agricultural economy.
In addition to wetland restoration, the project will convert about 1,500 acres of a former corn crop to rice production to keep the island’s peat soils wet, which combats subsidence.
Final Workshop: Just Transitions in the Delta Project
 The final exhibition and public workshop will be held next month for the Just Transitions in the Delta project - an effort to envision adaptation strategies in the Delta under conditions of drought, salinity, and sea-level rise.
The project seeks to democratize science and decision-making in the Delta through a participatory scenario planning process.
The workshop runs 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday Nov. 5, with an open gallery preceding it 9-10 a.m.
And the exhibition - which features detailed scenario visualizations, interactive models and performance reviews - with opportunities to vote for your preferred scenarios - will be open 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3-Saturday, Nov. 7.
Both the workshop and exhibition will be held at the Jean Harvie Center, 14273 River Road, Walnut Grove.
Learn more about the project here, and register for the workshop here.
$704k to Go Toward Strengthening CDFW Invasive Mussel Program
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife on Oct. 7 announced $704,000 in funding that will go toward strengthening the department's Invasive Mussel Program with increased staffing to conduct monitoring, prevention, and containment activities.
Read the press release, or visit CDFW's golden mussel web page.
Fifth Climate Change Assessment: Delta Impacts
California's Fifth Climate Change Assessment arrived this week with a new counterpart: a Delta-specific assessment of risks and needs, and strategies for addressing them.
Climate Change in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (PDF) was produced by the Delta Stewardship Council in partnership with the Delta Protection Commission and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy.
Threats highlighted by the report include flooding and levee risk, impacts to water quality and supply reliability, impacts on communities and social equity, and stresses to the ecosystem and agriculture.
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OPPORTUNITIES: COMMENT, LEARN, LEAD
Comment on DPC 'Farmland Conversion in the Delta' Report at Meetings Nov. 12 and Dec. 1, or in Writing Through Dec. 1
Public comment on the Delta Protection Commission’s draft report, “Farmland Conversion in the Delta: Protecting Agriculture as Part of the Coequal Goals,” is open through Dec. 1. The draft report can be found here (PDF), and comments may be emailed to the Delta Protection Commission at submit@delta.ca.gov.
The public can also comment on the report at the Delta Protection Commission's Nov. 12 meeting and the Delta Protection Advisory Committee's Dec. 1 meeting.
Don't Just Talk about Cake - Eat It at the 2026 Delta Heritage Forum
The annual Delta Heritage Forum explores “Delta as Culinary Journey” on Nov. 5 at a full-day event celebrating food-related cultural stories in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, both historic and modern.
You can't explore a culinary journey without getting your tastebuds involved: There will be a vintage cake tasting!
Learn more and register. But don't wait - registration closes Oct. 26.
Applications Open for Delta Leadership Program Through Nov. 20
Applications are open for the 2027 Delta Leadership Program, a joint effort of the Delta Protection Commission and the Delta Leadership Foundation. The program targets potential or emerging leaders in the Delta from all walks of life – agriculture, law enforcement, local government, non-profit organizations, local business, and the tourism and hospitality sector. Learn more and apply.
ROAD, BRIDGE, AND FERRY CLOSURES
The Latest SR-4 Closures
Long-term, 24-hour, one-way traffic control will be implemented on SR-4 at the Old River Bridge (San Joaquin/Contra Costa County line) for construction through November. Upcoming work includes:
- Overnight, one-way traffic control from Whiskey Slough in Holt to the Old River Bridge (San Joaquin/Contra Costa County line) for paving work 8 p.m.-4 a.m. through Friday, Oct. 23.
- Overnight, intermittent one-way traffic control from SR-99/Golden Gate Avenue to the San Joaquin/Stanislaus County line for pavement work 7 p.m.-7 a.m. through Friday, Oct. 23.
- A 36-hour full closure from Roberts Road to the San Joaquin/Contra Costa County line from 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, through 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 25.
Antioch Bridge: Overnight One-way Traffic Control Oct. 23
Caltrans will have one-way traffic controls 10 p.m. Oct. 23-6 a.m. Oct. 24 for drainage cleaning. The northbound lane will be closed starting at 10 p.m.; the southbound lane will be closed as soon as cleaning on the northbound lane is complete. More information.
Harmful Algal Blooms Update
As of Monday, Oct. 19, there is one harmful algal bloom advisory in the Delta: a danger advisory at the Big Break Regional Shoreline Boat Launch.
Visitors are advised to stay away from algae and scum in the water. Do NOT let pets go in the water, drink the water, or eat scum on the shore. Keep children away from algae. Do not eat shellfish from this waterbody.
DELTA AGENCY MEETINGS
The 2026 schedule for the Delta Protection Commission's public bodies is here. The schedule includes meeting packets as they become available, and approved minutes.
Oct. 28: The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy board meets 9 a.m.-1 p.m. The agenda is posted here.
Nov. 12: Delta Protection Commission meets at 5 p.m. The agenda will be posted here at least 10 days in advance.
Nov. 19-20: Delta Stewardship Council meets. The agenda will be posted here at least 10 days in advance.
Dec. 1: Delta Protection Advisory Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. The agenda will be posted here at least 10 days in advance.
Dec. 16: Delta NHA Advisory Committee meets at 1 p.m. The agenda will be posted here at least 10 days in advance.
Not sure which Delta agency is which? This fact sheet (PDF) explains the missions and roles of the Delta Protection Commission, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy, and the Delta Stewardship Council.
Send us your Delta news, events, or photos:
submit@delta.ca.gov
The DPC is on social media:
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Delta Protection Commission
2101 Stone Blvd Suite 200, West Sacramento, CA 95691
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