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 Parks and Recreation Planning,
 Management, and Design
Delta Recreation Master Strategy
Central Valley, CA
Located at the confluence of the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers in northern California, the Delta encompasses approximately 738,000 acres (1,150 square miles) with approximately 635 linear miles of navigable waters. As the largest estuary system on the West Coast, the Delta serves many functions: as a hub of an extensive network of waterways through the north and central regions of California; as a conduit through which 40% of the State’s land area flows into the San Francisco Bay and ultimately to the Pacific Ocean; as a supply of drinking water for two-thirds of the California population; irrigation water for over 7 million acres of agriculture; as highly valuable wildlife habitat; and for recreation.
In order to find a balance between the delicate ecosystem of the Delta as well as accommodate the needs of farming, development and recreation interests, CALFED is proposing a series of alternative water conveyance mechanisms and storage, and habitat restoration projects. Before construction begins, the Bay-Delta DPEIR/EIS is required to identify potential long-term impacts of current recreation uses from each of the alternative water conveyance, storage, and habitat restoration projects proposed.
The Dangermond Group (TDG) was contracted to analyze impacts to assorted types of recreational uses within over 100 miles of bay-delta waterways in response to a draft programmatic EIR/EIS for water conveyance and storage facility alternatives within the Bay-Delta of California. The study identified potential long-term impacts of current recreation uses from each of the alternative water conveyance, storage, and habitat restoration projects proposed in the CALFED Bay-Delta DPEIR/EIS. Other items identified included additional mitigation of negative impacts to recreation and opportunities to enhance recreation opportunities as a benefit of project alternatives.
The study included the analysis of three alternatives incorporating numerous conveyance features, storage alternatives and habitat enhancement options. Some of these features included channel enlargements, operable and non-operable flow barriers, isolated facilities, levee setbacks, island flooding and groundwater storage.
Recreational Categories: An area so influenced by water-born recreation as well as other types of outdoor recreation is very sensitive to changes in its flow and impoundment of water. Some of the categories that were analyzed for impacts of changes in the water storage and conveyance include pleasure boating, power boating, non-motorized boating, waterfowl hunting, fishing, trail use, automobile touring, passive day use and camping.
Recommendations: The recommendations which surfaced from this study included the concept that recreation is a vital segment of the life and history of the Delta and planning for its future should be an important element of any water project planning process. The study also identified that a project of this magnitude should maintain long term recreation enhancement as a high project goal. Other recommendations also identified the potential for "in kind" mitigation on or off-site to enable the possibility of recreational project area on non-project lands. TDG also identified the opportunities for recreational uses that are compatible with habitat management objectives pursued on project lands and waterways. An integrated Delta-wide recreation planning process should be incorporated with on-going habitat and project planning to maximize public benefits through "synergies" among project components.
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