Upcoming Meetings:

December 2 - In-Person at Lathrop City Hall and Virtual 

November 4 - CANCELLED

Past Meetings:

Paradise Cut Advisory Committee Meeting Agenda - October 15 - CLICK HERE 

Please CLICK HERE for the RFP-24-02 - Consulting Services for the Paradise Cut Bypass Expansion and Multi-Benefit Project.

For the Paradise Cut Advisory Committee Meeting Agenda 02.16.24, please CLICK HERE or navigate to the page: GOVERNANCE > Paradise Cut Advisory Committee.

Paradise Cut Advisory Committee Meeting Agenda_04.02.24 CLICK HERE    PowerPoint Presentation

Paradise Cut Advisory Committee Meeting Agenda - MAY 6 - CANCELLED

Paradise Cut Advisory Committee Meeting Agenda - June 3 - CANCELLED

Paradise Cut Advisory Committee Meeting Agenda - July 1 CLICK HERE       PowerPoint Presentation

Paradise Cut Advisory Committee Meeting Agenda - August 26 CLICK HERE

SJAFCA’s Paradise Cut Expansion and South Delta Restoration Project (Project) incorporates an expanded flood bypass, channel dredging to increase water supply reliability for in-Delta users, and floodplain, wetland, and riparian habitat enhancements to help restore the landscape-scale ecosystem functions necessary for climate change resilience.

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Background

Urban and agricultural communities along the San Joaquin River are vulnerable to catastrophic flooding because the San Joaquin River through the south Delta is not large enough to convey the design flow, let alone the 100-year flood. During a different era with different climate assumptions, cities and farms leveed and armored the banks of the lower San Joaquin River resulting in significant habitat degradation. Expanding the floodway today to safely convey the larger flood events scientists now predict will keep communities safe and will also help preserve farmland and restore habitat for sensitive species.

The Paradise Cut and South Delta Restoration Project has been in development for over ten years. Project proponents have successfully worked with numerous state and local entities to inform local stakeholders, evaluate the technical feasibility of the bypass, quantitatively model the impacts and benefits, and build broad support.

Phase 1 of the Project, funded with a grant from the Sacramento - San Joaquin Delta Conservancy to the San Joaquin County Resource Conservation District (SJCRCD), included preliminary planning and hydraulic modeling, project outreach and agency coordination, and a detailed permitting strategy. The Project continued into Phase 2 with another grant from the Sacramento – San Joaquin Delta Conservancy. Phase 2 was recently completed and included a compilation of existing technical analyses and identification of future studies needed to address local concerns. The Phase 2 Project team also supported the developed of the MOU identifying SJAFCA as the future project lead.

Project Status

SJAFCA is partnering with DWR to advance the Paradise Cut and South Delta Restoration Project Feasibility Study (Phase 3). The Feasibility Study will consolidate work previously completed and select preferred alternatives to advance to the next phase of Project development.

Progress on the Feasibility Study will be overseen by an Advisory Committee to the SJAFCA Board, composed of representatives from local and regional partners. In addition, SJAFCA will establish and retain an independent panel of experts to evaluate technical analyses performed to date, identify any pertinent technical shortcomings of this work, make recommendations on additional technical analyses or model updates required to advance the project, and review technical products produced under this scope of work.  SJAFCA will update progress as work advances.

In August 2023, the CA Department of Water Resources conducted a flyover of the project area using a drone. See the videos here: https://www.youtube.com/@NCRO_UAV/videos.

Project Partners

On December 16, 2021, SJAFCA executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the following project partners to advance the project: