Elevation and Opportunity in the Delta: Restoring the Right Thing in the Right Place

A future Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Suisun Marsh (“Delta” herein) that supports healthy
ecosystems and native species, while also meeting flood risk reduction, water supply, water quality,
carbon sequestration, economic, and cultural objectives, requires that appropriate restoration
and management actions be taken in the right place at the right time. Geographic setting affects
the potential opportunities available—not all actions are suitable everywhere. Physical factors
determining what types of activities are appropriate now and in the future include a site’s elevation,
degree of tidal and fluvial influence, salinity, soil type, and local effects of climate change, which
all vary spatially across the Delta. While there has been considerable progress over the last several
decades, continued acceleration of the pace and scale of enhancement actions appropriate to
landscape position is needed. Understanding the physical template is necessary for developing
strategies that move beyond opportunistic restoration, support resilience over time, and have the
potential to connect and magnify benefits across the larger landscape.