WASHINGTON – Congressman David Valadao (CA-22) and Congressman Vince Fong (CA-20) released the following statement criticizing the State Water Resources Control Board Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan:

“In 2022, after years of negotiations, California’s public water agencies came together in good faith and agreed on a science-based path forward for the Bay-Delta. Four years later, the State Water Board has walked away from that agreement and moved the goalposts. Central Valley families are the ones who will pay the price for this bait and switch.
 
“An unelected board in Sacramento is once again telling farmers, workers, and businesses that their water needs come last.  Water districts and communities across California need certainty, not shifting rules that guarantee years of delay and litigation. Higher costs and more regulation are not the answer. While the federal government is working to deliver more water to Californians, the State Water Board keeps finding new ways to take it away. The Board must stop jeopardizing California’s water supply and deliver a viable path forward.”

After years of negotiations, California's public water agencies established a science-based path forward for the Bay-Delta in 2022, which was supported by public water agencies across the state, the California Secretary of Natural Resources, the California Secretary for Environmental Protection, and the Bureau of Reclamation through a Memorandum of Understanding. Unfortunately, the State Water Resources Control Board has disregarded the agreed upon plan and produced a flawed product that fundamentally undermines what parties negotiated for years in good faith.

The new plan, released on August 19, 2026, changes how water contributions are counted, reduces the credit water users receive for commitments already made, and removes the limits on future demands — leaving more uncertainty than when negotiations began. 
 
The Central Valley is the food production capital of the nation, growing nearly a quarter of the food on Americans' tables. Without reliable water resources, the foundation of our region's economy and the entire nation's food supply is at risk.

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