San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary

Learn About the Bay

A vast watershed connects the mountain streams surrounding California's Central Valley with the San Francisco Valley and the ocean beyond. More than 40% of California is connected by water to the San Francisco Bay. The San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary is one of the most ecologically productive water bodies in the world. More than 200 species of birds, 130 species of fish, 52 species of mammals and 22 species of amphibians and reptiles are found in the Estuary.

In addition to its biological importance, the Bay-Delta has great economic significance to California and the West Coast.  More than twenty-three million Californians get their drinking water from the Estuary, and millions live and recreate in the region.  Further, millions of tons of agricultural commodities and commercial goods are shipped via its waterways.

Unfortunately, the estuary is also severely polluted and faces enormous pressures that threaten further degradation. Mining, industrial-scale agriculture, sewage discharges, urbanization, invasive species, dredging, water withdrawals, and the chemical and oil industry threaten the viability of our ecosystem and our health. Baykeeper was founded in 1989 to protect and restore San Francisco Bay-Delta waters for the benefit of its ecosystem and human communities.