About the Delta Chambers | Heart of the California Sacramento & San Joaquin Delta

How much do you love your Delta?

Interview with Executive Director of the California Delta Chambers & Visitor’s Bureau:
Bill Wells

If I donate $35 to $20,000+, where does that money go? How does that help the chamber, and the chamber’s mission?

This goes into the general operating fund of the chamber. It is used to promote tourism, local businesses, and to stop outside forces from destroying the Delta. If a person has a specific project we are working on like signage or a publication that they want to donate to we can accommodate that request also.

What is “the chamber’s mission?”

We promote the assets of the California Delta through the combined efforts of local chambers of commerce, visitor bureaus, development associations, businesses, government agencies, and individuals throughout the Delta area.

What makes the California Delta Chambers unique from other chamber organizations?

We encompass 37 cities and towns within six counties of the Delta area. We work with chambers & visitor’s bureaus throughout the area. We are actively involved in many Delta issues including working to stop the government from diverting the Sacramento River around the Delta. Our Board of Directors (BOD) is made up of professional individuals in a variety of businesses around the Delta. Our board members all live and or work in the Delta and have a combined total of over 200 years of local business experience.

How could you help the Delta Chamber if you are not a member?

Seek out announcements, political happenings, local stories and hot topics in our exclusive “Hot off the Press” & “Commodores Corner” blogs. Stay in contact with your elected representatives to make sure they are supporting Delta interests.

Why is the Delta so important?

The Delta is the geographic heart of California. It is also the heart of the California water system. It is a treasure worth saving and very important to the lifeblood of California. The Delta is known as the richest soil in the entire United States for agriculture.

What does the chamber organization do beyond aiding Delta businesses?

We are active in preserving and protecting the Delta, and we work with all levels of government from local to federal. Our organization is accessible seven days a week through an information line and email service which provide quality information to visitors

What are the issues going on in the Delta today?

We are working to limit water exports from the Delta to a sustainable level including stopping the current tunnel project, and working with government agencies to reduce the impact of invasive plants around the Delta such as water hyacinth and egeria densa.

What is the story about the tunnel? How does this affect people’s everyday lives in the Delta?

The tunnel is both a costly and unsustainable method to export Delta fresh water to Southern California. This will negatively affect local farms, the recreation industry, legacy towns, and will be a general disaster to the Delta. Imagine the Delta without it’s water supply, salt water will backfill from the Bay and farms and plant life will be destroyed, animal habitat will be destroyed. The chamber had a seat on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) public panel. We worked during the entire two plus year process to provide a voice from the Delta. We currently work with elected officials at all levels to stop the tunnel, and to protect and preserve the Delta. We work closely with the Save The California Delta Alliance https://nodeltagates.com/ and Delta Legacy Communities https://www.deltalegacycommunities.org/ both organizations are dedicated to stopping the current waterfraud.

In the course of a day with Executive Director, Commodore Bill Wells, what do you do involving things outside of businesses?

I have our office phone forwarded to my cell phone so I can offer quality assistance to all callers. I personally try to answer all emails that come to the chamber. Occasionally I have to forward them to a more knowledgeable person. I meet with many organizations to promote Delta interests such as The Delta Protection Advisory Committee, and the Delta Protection Commission. There are a large number of government officials and public service organizations that I work with as well.