DEVELOPING AN EFFECTIVE WATERSHED PROGRAM FOR CALIFORNIA'S BAY-DELTA SYSTEM

The CALFED Bay-Delta Program (CALFED Program) was initiated in 1994 by former California Governor Pete Wilson and the Clinton Administration. It is an unprecedented collaboration among state and federal agencies and the state's leading urban, agricultural, and environmental interests to address and resolve the environmental and water management problems associated with California's Bay-Delta system. The mission of the multi-billion dollar CALFED Program is to develop a long-term comprehensive plan that will restore ecological health and improve water management for beneficial uses of the Bay-Delta system. Eight integrated elements comprise the CALFED Program; one of these elements is the Watershed Program.The Watershed Program was established as an aid to achieving the overarching goal of the CALFED Program to restore ecological health and improve water management by working with the community at a watershed level. An integral component of the Watershed Program is stakeholder involvement. By working in partnership with a diverse set of stakeholders throughout the state, an effective Watershed Program for the Bay-Delta system is being developed.This paper provides an overview of the CALFED Program and discusses the evolvement of the Watershed Program. It focuses on the importance that stakeholder involvement has had in the success of the Watershed Program. Specifically, it describes the mutual benefits that are gained and some of the challenges that arise by using a watershed approach and promoting stakeholder involvement throughout the entire process. It concludes with a discussion of the future of the CALFED Program.