Welcome to the Delta Protection Commission

Right Column

Land Use and Resource Management Plan for the Primary Zone of the Delta — Utilities & Infrastructure

Due to the Delta's location between major population areas, its unique resources, especially water and natural gas, and its flat terrain and general lack of development, the Delta has high value as a utility and transportation corridor.

Utilities located in the Delta include: radio and television transmission towers; electrical transmission lines including Pacific Gas and Electric, and Western Area Power Administration lines; natural gas pipelines, serving local gas fields and regional pipelines; petroleum transportation pipelines; and water transportation canals and pipelines transporting water from the Delta to regional users and transporting water through the Delta to the Bay Area. Buried pipelines within rights of way appear to generally have lesser impacts on wildlife movements or land uses than aboveground facilities. The aboveground facilities, such as pipelines, canals, and transmission lines do impact wildlife movements, reduce availability of valuable habitat, and result in direct loss of birds killed by striking transmission lines.

Local governments regulate the utilities that serve Delta residents and visitors including potable water, sewage disposal, and solid waste disposal. Most potable water is obtained from groundwater through local wells. Most wastewater from homes and businesses is treated in on-site septic tanks. Some of the larger communities and developments have self-contained wastewater treatment facilities. Communities outside the Primary Zone do and propose to continue to release treated wastewater into Delta waterways, onto constructed wetlands, or onto agricultural lands.

Natural gas remains an important natural resource extracted from the Delta. PG&E maintains a large underground storage site under McDonald Island.

Transportation systems traversing around and through the Delta include several railroads and freeways, state highways, and county roads. Many bridges connect island developments; five islands are served only by ferry.

Two major ports lie north and east of the Primary Zone, the Ports of Sacramento and Stockton, respectively. The shipping channels were constructed the late 1920's (Stockton) and 1950's (Sacramento). Several million tons of diversified products are shipped through the Delta each year.

Airports in the Delta are limited to small facilities serving individual land-owners and agriculture-serving businesses.

Goal: Protect the Delta from excessive construction of utilities and infrastructure facilities, including those that support uses and development outside the Delta. Where construction of new utility and infrastructure facilities is appropriate, ensure the impacts of such new construction on the integrity of levees, wildlife, and agriculture are minimized.

Utilities and Infrastructure Findings:
  • F-1. The flat, largely unpopulated Delta is a valuable site for regional utility corridors, such as transmission lines and pipelines.
  • F-2. High voltage transmission lines have disrupted wildlife use patterns and resulted in the loss of birds due to collision with those lines.
  • F-3. Isolated residential structures are served by independent potable water and sewage disposal systems.
  • F-4. Delta communities are served by small community water systems and small community sewage disposal systems.
  • F-5. Large communities on the edge of the Delta have located sewage treatment ponds at the edge of the Delta and release treated wastewater into Delta sloughs and rivers, and onto nearby agricultural lands.
  • F-6. Most solid waste generated in the Delta is disposed of at facilities outside the area. Recycling is not readily available for Delta residents; in the Delta, agricultural waste is disposed of on site.
  • F-7. Productive natural gas fields are located in the Delta. A large underground gas storage facility is located at McDonald Island.
  • F-8. Surface transportation in the Delta serves the agricultural operations, transporting products out of the Delta to markets, and allows import of supplies and equipment. Other users of the Delta transportation network include regional trucking, regional commuters, recreational visitors, and local traffic within the Delta. Many existing Delta roads are historic, narrow, and nonconforming to present design standards. Drivers need to be aware of hazards and unique challenges that these roads pose.
  • F-9. While some railroad rights-of-way within the Delta have been sold, many traveling through the Delta remain intact. Regional rail traffic, between the Bay Area and the Central Valley passes through the Delta. Spur lines create shorter links between processing facilities and the Ports. Rail traffic, both freight and passenger, is increasing as intermodal transportation planning develops. Several new or refurbished stations are planned in the Delta region
  • F-10. Bridges and ferries are key links for surface transportation in the Delta. Bridges impact vessel traffic on the waterways; some bridges rarely open requiring boats to travel alternate waterways. Some bridges open regularly, impacting surface traffic and creating possible delays in emergency response. The few remaining ferries are expensive to maintain and operate, and may be affected by cuts in State and local government budgets.
  • F-11. Commercial shipping is an historic use of the Delta waterways. The two commercial shipping channels: Sacramento Deep Water Channel and Stockton Deep Water Ship Channel, provide important transportation for movement of agricultural products from the Delta and other areas to faraway markets.
  • F-12. Air transportation in the Delta is limited to small airstrips serving private property owners, small agriculture related businesses, and other limited use.
Utilities and Infrastructure Policies:
  • P-1. Impacts associated with construction of transmission lines and utilities can be mitigated by locating new construction in existing utility or transportation corridors, or along property lines, and by minimizing construction impacts. Before new transmission lines are constructed, the utility should determine if an existing line has available capacity. To minimize impacts on agricultural practices, utility lines shall follow edges of fields. Pipelines in utility corridors or existing rights-of-way shall be buried to avoid adverse impacts to terrestrial wildlife. Pipelines crossing agricultural areas shall be buried deep enough to avoid conflicts with normal agricultural or construction activities. Utilities shall be designed and constructed to minimize any detrimental effect on levee integrity or maintenance.
  • P-2. New houses built in the Delta agricultural areas shall continue to be served by independent potable water and wastewater treatment facilities. Uses which attract a substantial number of people to one area, including any expansions to the Delta communities, recreational facilities or businesses, shall provide adequate infrastructure improvements or pay to expand existing facilities, and not overburden the existing limited community resources. New or expanded construction of wastewater disposal systems shall ensure highest feasible standards are met, as determined by the local governing body. Independent treatment facilities shall be monitored to ensure no cumulative adverse impact to groundwater supplies.
  • P-3. New sewage treatment facilities (including storage ponds) and new areas for disposal of sewage effluent and sewage sludge shall not be located within the Delta Primary Zone. The Rio Vista project, as described in the adopted Final Environmental Impact Report for such project, and the Ironhouse Sanitary District use of Jersey Island for disposal of treated wastewater and biosolids are exempt from this policy.
  • P-4. High groundwater tables and subsiding soil make the Delta an inappropriate location for solid waste disposal. Generation of waste shall be minimized through recycling programs for metals, glass, paper, cardboard, and organic materials. Recycling depots for these materials shall be located in central locations to serve Delta residents, visitors, and businesses.
  • P-5. Surface transportation in the Delta can be dangerous and congested. Roads within the Delta shall be maintained to serve the existing agricultural uses and supporting commercial uses, recreational users, and Delta residents. Where possible, commuter traffic and through traffic should be directed to surrounding highways and freeways, or minimized through programs which promote carpools, buses or trains.
  • P-6. Air transportation in the Delta shall be allowed to continue to serve Delta residents and agriculture-related businesses. Due to subsidence, transmission lines, high winds, fog, and high raptor and waterfowl use, the Primary Zone is not an appropriate location for new or expanded general aviation airports.
  • P-7. Operation of draw and swing bridges shall balance needs of land and water traffic. Commercial vessels and emergency road traffic shall have right-of-way over other traffic.
Utilities and Infrastructure Recommendations:
  • R-1. Railroad rights-of-way in and around the Delta should be protected as transportation corridors. Regional rail links between the Central Valley and the Bay Area should be developed for commuters as alternative transportation routes, thus removing traffic from Delta roadways.
  • R-2. Bridges provide critical links within the Delta. While bridges must be maintained to provide safe access across waterways, bridges should not be constructed so as to invite roadway expansion. Ferries should be maintained by public entities as long as they are economically viable. Public-private partnerships should be explored to offset costs of maintenance and operation. Hours of service may be curtailed and/or fees charged to non-residents.
  • R-3. The existing commercial shipping channels should be maintained, and if determined to be environmentally and economically appropriate, deepened to meet modern shipping needs. Expanded use of shallow draft vessels, such as barges, should be explored as a transportation alternative to highways. Material excavated from the shipping channels should, if feasible, be used for maintenance of Delta levees or for wildlife habitat enhancement within the Delta and for other uses within the Delta.
  • R-4. Materials dredged from Delta channels should, if feasible, be stored at upland sites for reuse for levee maintenance and repair, and other feasible uses in the Delta. Impacts to wildlife caused by storage of dredged materials should be mitigated.
  • R-5. CalTrans should designate, through appropriate signage, those roadways which are used to transport agricultural equipment and other slow-moving vehicles.
  • R-6. Potable water supplies to serve Delta uses can be obtained from surface waters or groundwater. Development of groundwater wells should be monitored to ensure wells do not result in overdraft and possible intrusion of saline water into groundwater supplies.
  • R-7. Natural gas production will continue to be an important use of Delta resources. Structures needed for gas extraction should be consolidated to minimize displacement of agriculture and wildlife habitat. In compliance with existing laws, facilities no longer needed for gas extraction should be completely removed to allow restoration of agriculture or wildlife habitat uses. Counties should ensure that there are appropriate buffers between gas processing and storage facilities and residential and recreational uses to protect lives and property.
  • R-8. Utilities should be required to contribute a fair share to the cost of levee maintenance and other local services and should not result in a reduction of assessable acreage for reclamation districts.