Regional Economy, Recreation and Tourism

On this page: Economic Sustainability Plan | Socioeconomic Indicators | Great California Delta Trail | Recreation and Tourism Survey Report

Regional Economy

Economic Sustainability Plan

The 2009 Delta Reform Act (Public Resources Code section 29759) requires the Commission to prepare an Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) for the Delta region. The Commission adopted the ESP in January 2012. It includes information about the Delta’s agricultural and recreation economy, levees, public safety, and the impacts of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan and isolated conveyance (as proposed at that time). The Commission used the ESP to develop a set of recommendations that informed the Delta Stewardship Council’s Delta Plan policies concerning the socioeconomic sustainability of the Delta region.

• Economic Sustainability Plan for the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta (2012) (PDF – Large file: 19 MB)

Chapter Updates

The Commission updated two chapters of the ESP, gathering the most current data on recreation and tourism, and agriculture.

Recreation and Tourism Chapter Update  (2020)

Initiated in 2019, the Recreation and Tourism chapter update includes a review of recreation and tourism studies completed after 2012 and the results of five focus groups held between March and April 2020. The updated chapter includes best available current data, analysis of visitation, economic activity, and emerging recreation and tourism trends.

• ESP Recreation and Tourism Chapter Update (2020) (PDF – Large file: 29.1 MB)
  • Larger view of Figure 8-2 Recreation Facilities Map (PDF)
  • Larger view of Figure 8-3 Tourism Facilities Map (PDF)

Prior to Commission approval of the chapter update at the March 2021 meeting, Commission staff received input on the draft at virtual public workshops held in December 2020 and January 2021.

December 2020 Public Workshop

• December 2020 Meeting Video
• December 2020 Meeting Summary (PDF)

January 2021 Public Workshop

• January 2021 Meeting Video
• January 2021 Meeting Summary (Coming soon)

Agriculture Chapter Update (2019-2020)

Initiated in 2017, the Agriculture chapter update includes a revision of Delta agricultural land use and the resulting contribution to the Delta economy, utilizing 2016 crop year data. In addition, the update included an analysis of the impact of proposed Delta restoration projects on the Delta agricultural economy.

• The State of Delta Agriculture: Economic Impact, Conservation and Trends (2020) (PDF)

Other reports also modeled the impact of salinity in Delta water supplies on Delta crop choice, and a review of how climate change (primarily warmer air temperatures) could influence future crop choices in the Delta. For more information on these two latter reports, please contact the Commission at dpc@delta.ca.gov.

• Salinity and Crop Choice in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (2020) – Available by request
• Climate Change Vulnerability in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: Agriculture and Levee Impacts (2019) – Available by request

Socioeconomic Indicators for the Delta

The Socioeconomic Indicators Report provides a quantitative snapshot for benchmarking policy progress in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region. The data presented offers a set of statistical indicators that can be replicated on a continual basis to monitor and track the socioeconomic health and vitality of the Delta region.

• Socioeconomic Indicators Report: The Sacramento – San Joaquin Delta (2019) (PDF)
• Socioeconomic Indicators Report – Infographics (2019) (PDF)

Recreation and Tourism

Great California Delta Trail

Public Resources Code sections 5852-5855 calls for the Commission to develop a plan for a Great California Delta Trail, a continuous regional recreation corridor extending around the Delta, including the shorelines of five Delta counties, and linking trail systems from Sacramento to the San Francisco Bay. Under the statute, the Commission works in partnership with local entities to coordinate planning and implementation. Trail segments are conceived, developed, built, and managed locally.

The charge for the Great California Delta Trail is to include routes for bicycling and hiking, with interconnections to other land and water trail systems, recreational facilities, and public transportation. Water trails will provide continuity in places where land trails are not feasible. When complete, this regional trail will connect communities with a long-distance, primary trail corridor linked with boat launch sites and access trails leading to and from key destinations.

There are currently five designated Great California Delta Trail segments, including:

• West Sacramento River Walk
• Sacramento River Parkway
• Clarksburg Branch Line Trail
• Big Break and Marsh Creek Trail
• Carquinez Strait Scenic Loop Trail

Great California Delta Trail Master Plan

Public Resources Code section 5855 directs the Commission to convene Technical and Stakeholder Advisory Committees to review planning, implementation, and funding proposals. Commission staff worked extensively with county parks planners, regional transportation officials, trails groups, and landowners to produce an Eastern Blueprint Report for Sacramento, Yolo, and San Joaquin Counties (2019) and a Western Blueprint for Contra Costa and Solano Counties (2010), laying the groundwork for the development and adoption by the Commission (January 2022) of the Great California Delta Trail Master Plan.

The plan provides a framework for the Commission to work in partnership with local trail planners, facilitating coordinated planning and implementation across jurisdictional boundaries.

Great California Delta Trail Master Plan (PDF) – Large File 16 MB

• Appendix A – Public Survey Summary (PDF)
• Appendix B – Background Document Review (PDF)
• Appendix C – Rail Trail Development (PDF)
• Appendix D – Levee Managers Survey Summary (PDF)
• Appendix E – Operations and Maintenance (PDF)
• Appendix F – Funding Sources (PDF)
• Appendix G – Liability and Risk Reduction (PDF)
• Appendix H – Delta Trail Master Plan Trail Designation (PDF)
• Appendix I – Public Workshops (PDF)
• Appendix J – Public and Stakeholder Comment Summary (PDF)

Recreation and Tourism Survey Report

This study represents the findings of a research effort conducted by California State University, Sacramento and funded by the Commission. The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is a dynamic system of human communities and the natural environment. Up-to-date understandings of the social dimensions of recreation and tourism in the area should be considered when adapting approaches to managing the Delta region. The work performed in this research effort aims to provide information on visitor and local resident recreation preferences and information sources they utilize when choosing recreation opportunities. Additionally, this report includes economic impact and significance analyses of two annual events.

• Delta Recreation and Tourism Survey Report (2019) (PDF)
• Delta Recreation and Tourism Survey Infographics (2019) (PDF)

For more information contact Virginia Gardiner. If you are interested in receiving updates, join our mailing list.