California's current water system is broken. It was designed to meet the needs of 20 million people in the 20th century but today in the 21st century, we have 38 million people. In the not-too-distant future, California's population is expected to reach more than 50 million people.

The well-being of our people, our environment and a sustainable water supply to support the growth of our economy is not possible without fixing our water system. That begins in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the largest estuary in the western United States and the linchpin of California's water system.

The first step to resolving this dispute is by establishing common ground. For the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, one common point of agreement is that the estuary – which is critical for water delivery to nearly two-thirds of California – is facing serious challenges that must be addressed.

In 2006, the Bay Delta Conservation Plan was created to establish a process that would bring stakeholders together to forge an agreement on a path forward. This was not simply meant to be a path that led from bureaucratic process to bureaucratic process. It was meant to find a final, long-term solution to our water issues.

The Delta faces numerous stressors, including municipal wastewater and industrial discharges, invasive species, predation, power plant diversions, urban and agricultural runoff, diversions and in-Delta pumping, and ocean conditions, among others. The BDCP is an effort to address these in a more comprehensive way. It is one of the largest habitat conservation and restoration projects of its kind ever undertaken in the United States. In conjunction with ecological restoration, BDCP will also provide a more reliable supply of water to nearly 25 million Californians, as well as millions of acres of highly productive farmland in the San Joaquin Valley.

A request by some Delta interests to abandon the schedule to complete BDCP is a de facto request to abandon the BDCP process. Abandoning this long-sought agreement involving the state of California, the federal government and public water agencies would be a blow to Gov. Jerry Brown, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, and many of us who have remained committed to fixing the Delta, to the fish and wildlife BDCP is seeking to protect, and the people who rely on the water that moves through the Delta.

An agreement among the water users, the state, and the federal government, criticized by some in the Delta, is actually a significant step toward completing BDCP. It is important to clarify what this agreement and the goals of BDCP are:

• The agreement includes a schedule for completing the BDCP by Feb. 15, 2013, almost seven years after it began. The schedule is tightly maintained by a designated program management team that is well versed in environmental compliance at both the state and federal levels, with local water agencies funding the process.

• The agreement recognizes that all efforts by BDCP to regain water supply reliability will be "to the extent allowed by law." The agreement is entirely consistent with the Endangered Species Act.

• The state and federal governments plan to include in the BDCP an unprecedented level of public involvement that far exceeds statutory requirements.

BDCP is a welcome advance that will implement a comprehensive approach to Delta restoration and water supply restoration and reliability. The involvement of public water agencies – representing 25 million Californians – is more than balanced by the powers of the state and federal regulatory agencies. These agencies will only issue final permits if the plan is able to fulfill the goals of ecosystem restoration and water reliability.

Doing nothing or stopping the process – in other words, failing – will guarantee the further decline of fisheries and water quality in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta system.

There is no alternative to the Bay Delta Conservation Plan finishing its work, unless we want to continue the historic water wars of California.

BDCP is a dramatic undertaking. It is a public infrastructure project on the scale of those built by President Franklin Roosevelt and Gov. Pat Brown. It improves on the projects those great leaders built by recognizing and serving the needs of both the environment and of people. We cannot shy away from the challenges – we must embrace BDCP, and see it as the great opportunity it is.

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U.S. Rep. Jim Costa represents California's 20th District, which includes Fresno and Bakersfield.

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