Delta Plan Performance Measures

The Coequal Goals

The Delta Stewardship Council was created in legislation to achieve the state mandated coequal goals for the Delta.

"Coequal goals" means the two goals of providing a more reliable water supply for California and protecting, restoring, and enhancing the Delta ecosystem.

The coequal goals shall be achieved in a manner that "protects and enhances the unique cultural, recreational, natural resource, and agricultural values of the Delta as an evolving place." (CA Water Code §85054)

Delta Plan

The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is the grand confluence of California's waters, the place where the state's largest rivers merge in a web of channels - and in a maze of controversy.

The Delta is a zone where the wants of a modern society come into collision with each other and with the stubborn limitations of a natural system.

In 2009 the Legislature made its latest, most determined bid to find solutions, passing the Delta Reform Act and associated bills. The Delta Plan was created.

Learn more about the Delta Plan

What are Performance Measures?

Performance measures track how well the goals and objectives defined in the Delta Plan are being achieved. 

The performance measures detect environmental or administrative changes due to implementation of policies and recommendations in the Delta Plan.

Relying on science and monitoring data, these measurable indicators are based on numeric targets and include dates to achieve the targets as well as baseline conditions against which to evaluate the progress.

Delta Plan performance measures allow the Delta Stewardship Council to integrate science and monitoring results into decision-making, adaptive management, and to track progress towards achieving the coequal goals.

In June of 2022, the Council adopted the revised Chapter 4 of the Delta Plan (Ecosystem Amendment), which includes new and revised performance measures. The ecosystem amendment is a new approach that aims to achieve a dynamic and resilient restored landscape envisioned in the Delta Reform Act of 2009. 

The updated set of performance measures was adopted by the Council in June 2022 as Appendix E of the Delta Plan.

Appendix E of the Delta Plan

Learn more about the Ecosystem Amendment.