FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 3, 2026
Contact: Michael Blenner, michael.blenner@sierraclub.org
Environmental Justice and Tribal Coalition, Californians Flood State Water Board with Opposition to Voluntary Agreements
Sacramento, CA — On Friday, Sierra Club California joined a broad coalition of environmental justice and Tribal groups—alongside more than 150 Californians—to urge the State Water Resources Control Board (Water Board) to reject the Voluntary Agreements (VAs) approach and instead implement enforceable unimpaired flow requirements for the Sacramento River and its tributaries.
The coalition included: representatives from the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, and members of the Yurok Tribe, the Round Valley Indian Tribe, and other California Tribal Nations, as well as Save California Salmon, Restore the Delta, Yosemite Rivers Alliance, Friends of the River, Golden State Salmon Association, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, 350 Bay Area, Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center, Defenders of Wildlife, the Resource Renewal Institute, Little Manila Rising, and the California Striped Bass Association.
The VAs approach under consideration as part of updates to California’s Bay-Delta Plan would abandon enforceable flow standards in favor of privately negotiated commitments among water agencies and other stakeholders, replacing binding environmental protections with discretionary promises that have already delayed meaningful action for years as rivers and fisheries continue to decline. By contrast, the unimpaired flows approach establishes clear, enforceable minimum flow requirements based on a percentage of a river’s natural, unimpaired flow, offering a science-based framework designed to protect water quality, support fish migration, and sustain ecosystems over the long term. Beginning January 28, the Water Board convened a three-day public hearing to weigh these competing approaches as part of its statutory duty to update the Bay-Delta Plan.
To read Sierra Club California’s comments on the State Water Resources Control Board’s December 2025 Updates to Phase 2 of the Bay-Delta Plan, click here.
To receive updates on Sierra Club California’s water campaign, click here.
Statement from Layne Fajeau, Organizing Strategist at Sierra Club California:
“The Board heard from more than 150 Californians—salmon fishers, artists, tech workers, NASA scientists, university professors, Delta farmers, biologists, foresters, engineers, mayors, and faith leaders. They heard from elementary, middle, high school, and college students; and residents from San Francisco to Stockton to the Salton Sea. Across backgrounds and geographies, their message was unified: protect our rivers, restore the Delta, and implement an enforceable unimpaired flows regulatory approach in the Bay-Delta Plan.
Just as telling, the only speakers who voiced support for Voluntary Agreements identified themselves as employees or representatives of water wholesalers, retailers, or water agency lobbying organizations. Californians are not divided on this issue. The public has already compromised—through decades of delay, declining fisheries, and degraded rivers. It is long past time for the state’s water agencies to compromise in return.
The State Water Board now faces a fundamental question: who does it serve? Will it act on the clear, unified call from Californians demanding unimpaired flows to restore the Delta and its tributaries, or will it continue to defer to powerful water districts advancing a discretionary, unsustainable approach that failed to earn support from the public?
Sierra Club California stands with the people of California, Tribal Nations, and the communities and ecosystems of the Delta. As the Board deliberates, we will continue to advocate for—and amplify—the widespread demand for unimpaired flows of at least 55% and real, enforceable protections for California’s rivers”
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Sierra Club California is the legislative and regulatory arm of Sierra Club’s 13 local chapters in California, representing half a million members and supporters.