Metropolitan, Delta Conservancy Break Ground on 2,800-acre Wetland Restoration Project on Webb Tract in Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

Project funded by $20.9 million Delta Conservancy grant to reverse subsidence, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create habitat for wildlife

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California:

WHAT:	The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy are breaking ground and planting the first seeds for future native plants as part of a major project to restore approximately 2,800 acres of wetlands and upland habitat on Metropolitan’s Webb Tract, a deeply subsided island in the Delta.
WHEN:	2 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 7
WHERE:	Webb Tract in Contra Costa County, California. RSVP to [e-mail] by Oct. 2 for location and directions. The island is only accessible by boat. Please plan for approximately three hours for the event, including travel to and from the island.
WHO:	Wade Crowfoot, Secretary, California Natural Resources Agency
	Shivaji Deshmukh, General Manager, Metropolitan Water District
	Tom Gibson, Director, California Department of Water Resources
	Meghan Hertel, Director, California Department of Fish and Wildlife
	Campbell Ingram, Executive Officer, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy
	Ken Carlson, Supervisor, District IV Contra Costa County
	Austin Stevenot, Citizen, California Valley Miwok Tribe and Director of Tribal Engagement, River Partners
VISUALS:	Backdrop of the future site of wetlands, officials planting seeds of native Bay Miwok evening primrose, a plant with deep connections to the Delta’s indigenous communities.

BACKGROUND: The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta supports agriculture, local communities and much of California’s water supply. It’s also one of the state’s most ecologically fragile and vulnerable regions. Like many islands in the Delta, over a century of conventional dry-soil farming has contributed to subsidence, with some areas as much as 24 feet below sea level. The Webb Tract project pairs wetland restoration with rice cultivation to meet multiple objectives. Keeping the island’s peat soil wet slows subsidence, sequesters carbon and creates habitat for migratory birds and other local species, while also supporting the local agricultural economy. The project was developed with guidance from Indigenous and Delta communities and made possible through a $20.9 million grant from the Delta Conservancy. Metropolitan is covering the remaining cost of the approximately $28 million project.

THE METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a state-established cooperative that, along with its 26 cities and retail suppliers, provide water for 19 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs.

THE SACRAMENTO-SAN JOAQUIN DELTA CONSERVANCY

Working collaboratively with local communities, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy leads efforts to protect, enhance, and restore the Delta’s economy, agriculture and working landscapes, and environment for the benefit of the Delta region, its local communities, and the citizens of California.