DPAC Minutes 2025-08-05

Meeting Minutes
Delta Protection Advisory Committee

Tuesday, August 5, 2025, 5:30 p.m.
Staten Island, 20250 N. Staten Island Rd., Thornton, CA  95686

1. Call to Order/Flag Salute – Anna Swenson, DPAC Chair

Chair Swenson called the meeting to order at 5:44 p.m.

2. Welcome and Roll Call

A quorum was present with members Anna Swenson, Katherine Wiley, Russ Ryan, Arron Pellarin, Emily Pappalardo, Craig Watanabe, Jeff Iniguez, Erin Chappell, Jerred Dixon, Jeffrey Twitchell, and ex officio Heather Swinney (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). It was noted that Morris Lum arrived at 5:48 p.m. during the public comments.

Guests present were Todd Plain and Matt Conover. Staff present were Interim Executive Director Dan Ray, Rachel Vanderwerff, and Heather McClure.

3. Public Comment – An opportunity for members of the public to address the Committee regarding items not on the agenda

Chair Swenson asked for comments from members of the public and there were the following:

Matt Conover, representing John McCormack Ranchers and Reclamation District 1002, stated expressed concerns regarding habitat restoration and wildlife management impacts on surrounding agricultural lands. He described significant crop damage and financial losses experienced by farmers due to goose depredation, including destruction of vegetation requiring replanting. He noted that multiple landowners have experienced substantial annual losses from wildlife impacts and that several are willing to provide detailed cost information to Commission staff. He recommended that the Commission include a quantitative analysis in its work plan to evaluate cumulative agricultural impacts alongside habitat objectives, including clarification of wildlife population goals and strategies to better distribute wildlife pressure across the region rather than concentrating impacts on individual farms.

4. Approval of June 3, 2025, Meeting Minutes

Member Pellarin moved, and Vice Chair Ryan seconded a motion to approve the June 3, 2025, minutes. The motion passed unanimously.

5. Update on Delta Protection Commission activities – Dan Ray

DPC Interim Executive Director Ray gave an update on the Ag Conversion Project which is tracking farmland conversion. Their current tally indicates that 36 projects have converted approximately 34,488 acres. He stated they be working to verify these numbers with other agencies and will meet with the Department of Water Resources, the Delta Conservancy, and the Stewardship Council to agree on the facts regarding farmland conversion.

Ray also announced the DPC had scheduled to interview candidates for the new executive director position on August 6, 2025.

Chair Swenson asked for public comments and there were none.

6. Consider Waterways Cleanup Task Group – The Committee

The Committee discussed the potential formation of a Waterways Cleanup Task Group. Members suggested reviewing and learning from successful cleanup efforts, such as those led by the Walnut Grove Rotary, and noted potential opportunities for partnership. The Committee also discussed surveying Reclamation Districts to identify known dumping locations. Questions were raised regarding possible connections to the National Heritage Area and whether such efforts could be reflected in the NHA Implementation Plan. Chair Swenson stated that she would pause further consideration of this item until she had the opportunity to consult with the NHA Advisory Committee.

Chair Swenson asked for public comments and there were none.

7. Consider Task Groups on Agriculture, Delta Conveyance, and Rivers and Levees – The Committee

Chair Swenson stated a vote was needed to formalize the task groups that had been discussed at the June 3 DPAC meeting.

Members of the Agriculture task group were noted as Ryan, Chappell, Watanabe, Hard, Dixon, Iniguez, with Bruce as a sub; members of the Delta Conveyance task group were noted as Ryan, Hsia, Dixon, Twitchell, Looney, Lum, Pellarin, with Pappalardo and Swenson as subs; and, members of the Rivers and Levees task group were noted as Pappalardo, Ryan, Watanabe, Twitchell, Chappell, with Dixon and Swenson as subs.

Pappalardo moved, and Member Dixon seconded a motion to approve the creation of three task groups: Agriculture, Delta Conveyance, and Rivers and Levees. The motion passed unanimously.

Chair Swenson asked for public comments and there were none.

8. Report on Delta Tunnel National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 Programmatic Agreement – Virginia Gardiner

Gardiner could not be present so Interim Executive Director Ray covered the report on the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) Section 106, a federal law from 1966 which requires federal agencies to consider the adverse effects of projects on historic properties. He explained that a property must be at least 50 years old, have integrity which includes being unaltered, and be important in order to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, but a property does not need to be formally listed under the registry to be considered under the Section 106 process. He also pointed out that the law allows for suggesting mitigation for damages, but cannot stop a project. In its role as the lead federal agency, the U.S. Corps of Army Engineers (Corps) circulated a draft final Programmatic Agreement (PA) in June 2025 for the Delta Conveyance Project which limits the consideration area to a quarter mile around above-ground structures. Ray noted that this PA and the DPC July comment letter to the Corps were included in the meeting materials. Ray said the letter urged recognition of the National Heritage Area and expressed concern over the Delta’s landscape being segmented, making it at risk of incremental loss and damage. He also revealed that the PA between the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) and the Corps is already considered done, as they responded to the DPC letter of suggestions by stating there would be no further changes.

Chair Swenson discussed forwarding the PA to historic associations for input and stated she would work with Ray to find ways to keep Delta communities engaged.

Chair Swenson asked for public comments and there were none.

9. Update on State Water Resources Control Board Actions in the Delta– Jay Ziegler, Delta Watermaster, State Water Resources Control Board

Zeigler reported that the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) has approved new regulations for annual water use reporting under Senate Bill 88. He stated that these regulations include the use of evapotranspiration (ET) as a basis for water rights reporting in the Delta through the ACP platform. He also spoke on the development of a new water rights digital database, CalWATRS, to replace the eWRIMS system beginning in October 2025, noting that it is in an early implementation year and may have bugs. He anticipates it will take three to four years to fully integrate all paper records from eWRIMS into the new CalWATRS system. He stated that the Delta Alternative Compliance Plan (DeltaACP.com) has successfully aligned approximately 3,000 points of diversion with their places of use and that this data, likely from Water Year 2023, will be embedded in the CalWATRS database to serve as a baseline.

Ziegler reported that an updated Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan framework was released recently, proposing both a regulatory pathway and a voluntary agreement program known as Healthy Rivers and Landscapes. He highlighted key changes from the prior framework, including alignment of voluntary agreements with specific water rights, detailing habitat accounting methods, and proposing a 35 to 45 percent unimpaired flow requirement for non-participants. Ziegler noted that a public workshop is scheduled for September 8 and 9 with comments due September 8, and stated that integration of water rights into the CalWATRS system is underway but will not be completed for Water Year 2025 reporting.

Chair Swenson asked for public comments and there were none.

10. Update on South Delta Sediment Remediation – Russ Ryan

Ryan provided a presentation on behalf of the Great Valley Farm Water Partnership (GVFWP) regarding efforts to address sedimentation in the South Delta. He described the Partnership as a consensus-based organization formed to bring together agricultural and water leaders from the Delta and San Joaquin Valley to pursue collaborative, achievable solutions rather than litigation. Ryan outlined the Partnership’s guiding principles of promoting sustainable water policy, engaging technical experts, and advancing coordinated regional approaches. He identified priority issues including sediment removal, expanded South-of-Delta storage, levee improvements, permanent operable gates, invasive weed control, and predation suppression.

Ryan discussed the 2025 Sediment Removal Position Paper, noting that sediment buildup has resulted in reduced channel capacity, altered export routes, impaired tidal circulation, and increased water temperatures that contribute to toxic algae and invasive plant species, adversely affecting water users and ecosystems. He stated that approximately 34 to 39 miles of South Delta channels have been identified as requiring restoration through multiple projects, with estimated costs ranging from hundreds of millions to potentially several billion dollars. Ryan outlined next steps including additional surveys, modeling, regulatory and land use coordination, CEQA review, sediment characterization, and design development, emphasizing the goal of establishing a sustainable, long-term sediment management program. He also noted broad interest and support from state and federal agencies, reclamation districts, and water authorities for advancing this work.

Chair Swenson asked for public comments and there were none.

11.Member Announcements and Next Meeting

A number of upcoming events were highlighted.

Chair Swenson thanked Emily Pappalardo for the 51^st Pear Fair. She shared that the next DPAC meeting will be held on October 7.

12. Adjourn

Chair Swenson adjourned the meeting at 7:55 p.m.