Array of state and federal regulators oversee water policy

In addition to the myriad of cities and water districts making important water policy decisions in San Joaquin County, they are overseen by an array of state and federal regulators. Among them:

State regulators

California Department of Water Resources: Prepares and updates policies to develop and manage the state's water systems, supplies quality water for all uses, protects Delta water quality, provides flood protection and provides technical assistance to local water agencies.

The department was formed in 1956 through the efforts of former Gov. Goodwin Knight, consolidating four state water agencies.

California Water Resources Control Board: Created by the Legislature in 1967, the board allocates water rights to various agencies. It also oversees water quality issues. Operates under the California Environmental Protection Agency. Board members are appointed to four-year terms by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate.

California Regional Water Quality Control Board: Regulates agricultural drainage in the San Joaquin Valley, which is high in selenium and trace elements, in a manner which protects water resources while at the same time maintaining a viable agricultural industry, according to its Web site.

It is also responsible for controlling salt and nitrate levels in groundwater, controlling storm water runoff, abandoned mine discharges of acids and heavy metals (which impact the Delta) and develop policies governing sewage disposal.

CALFED Bay-Delta Authority: Commonly known as CALFED, the program started in June 1995 as a collaborative effort of state and federal interests to address a declining ecosystem, uncertain water supplies, imperiled water quality, and unstable levees in the Delta and San Francisco Bay.

The mission is to develop a long-term plan to restore ecological health and improve water management for beneficial uses of the Bay-Delta system. One element of the CALFED mission is to correct water quality problems that impact beneficial uses.

California Department of Health Services: Regulates drinking water quality.

California Department of Fish and Game: Charged with protecting, conserving native fish, plants and wildlife.

Federal regulators

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation: Established in 1902, it is best known for the dams, power plants and canals it constructed in 17 western states. The bureau has constructed more than 600 dams and reservoirs, including Folsom, Shasta, Trinity and Friant dams.

The bureau brings water to more than 31 million people and provides one of five Western farmers (140,000) with irrigation water for 10 million acres of farmland that produce 60 percent of the nation's vegetables and 25 percent of its fruits and nuts, according to the bureau's Web site.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Enforces the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

National Marine Fisheries Service: Enforces protection for Chinook and steelhead salmon found to be endangered in the Mokelumne River and other Central Valley waterways.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Enforces federal laws that protect air, water and land.