About the Delta

The West Coast’s largest estuary, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta boasts miles of beautiful waterways, rich wildlife habitat, unique communities and thousands of acres of farmland.

The Delta is composed of more than 57 leveed island tracts and 700 miles of sloughs and channels that wind between each island.  This unique ecosystem supports more than 500 species of fish and wildlife, including 20 endangered species.

The Delta is also California’s most important water supply hub.  About two-thirds of all Californians and millions of acres of prime farmland rely on the estuary for water deliveries.

Water delivered by the State Water Project and Federal Central Valley Project serves both urban and agricultural areas from the Bay Area and Silicon Valley to the San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast and most of Southern California.

The Bay-Delta is however, in crisis. It is no longer functioning well for fish and wildlife or the 25 million Californians and tens of thousands of farms and businesses that rely on it for water deliveries.

Media

Taxonomy

• Water
• Water Supply
• Education
• Ecosystem