Batttle Creek Salmon and Steelhead Restoration Project - The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), and the California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) are proposing the Battle Creek Salmon and Steelhead Restoration Project (Restoration Project) near the town of Manton, California (Project Location Map). The Restoration Project spans Tehama and Shasta Counties and would reestablish approximately 42 miles of prime salmon and steelhead habitat on Battle Creek, plus an additional 6 miles on its tributaries. The species include the Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon (state- and federally listed as threatened), the Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon (state- and federally listed as endangered), and the Central Valley steelhead (federally listed as threatened)
The American River Division consists of the Folsom, Sly Park, and Auburn-Folsom South Units. The division is about midway between the northern and southern extremes of the Central Valley in Sacramento, San Joaquin, Placer, and El Dorado Counties. Division lands stretch from Sugar Pine Dam in the north to Stockton in the south. Most lands served by the Division lie in the southern portion of the Division, between Sacramento and Stockton.
The Auburn-Folsom South Unit of the Central Valley Project was designed to provide a new and supplemental water supply for irrigation and municipal and industrial needs and to alleviate the badly depleted groundwater conditions in the Folsom South service area. The primary feature of the unit was to be the Auburn Dam, Powerplant, and Reservoir, located on the American River, near the town of Auburn, about 40 miles northeast of Sacramento.
Originally authorized in 1944 as a 355,000 acre-feet flood control unit, Folsom Dam was reauthorized in 1949 as a 1,000,000 acre-feet multiple-purpose facility. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed Folsom Dam and transferred it to Reclamation for coordinated operation as an integral part of the Central Valley Project.
Construction of the dam began in October 1948 and was completed in May 1956. Water was first stored in February 1955.
The Shasta and Trinity River Divisions catch the headwaters of the network of Central Valley Project waterways and channel the water southward. Both divisions are part of the Central Valley Project. They are close to each another, with the Shasta Division on the Sacramento River about 10 miles north of Redding and the TrinityRiver Division on the Trinity River about 25 miles northwest of Redding. Surplus water from the Trinity River Basin is stored, regulated, and diverted through a system of dams, reservoirs, tunnels, and powerplants into the Sacramento River for use in water-deficient areas of the Central Valley Basin. Water is used for irrigation, power generation, navigation flows, environmental and wildlife conservation, and municipal and industrial needs.
Main website for the CVP - The Central Valley Project (CVP) was originally conceived as a State project to protect the Central Valley from crippling water shortages and devastating floods. The basic concept and facilities of today's massive project were included in the State Water Project formulated in the 1930's. In the depression era, however, the State was unable to finance the project. Most of the water development envisioned by the State was accomplished by the Federal CVP, beginning with its initial authorization in 1935.
Work began in 1937 with the Contra Costa Canal which began delivering water in 1940. The next facility built was Shasta Dam, the keystone of the project. Work on the dam began in 1938, and water storage started even before its completion in 1945. Congress subsequently passed 13 separate measures to authorize the development of other major project facilities over the next 3 decades. The final dam, New Melones, was completed in 1979.
The Delta Division CVP provides for the transport of water through the central portion of the great Central Valley, including the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The main features of the division are the Delta Cross Channel, Contra Costa Canal, Tracy Pumping Plant, and Delta-Mendota Canal, constructed and operated by the Bureau of Reclamation. This system provided full and supplemental water, as well as temporary water service, for a total of about 380,000 acres of farmland in 1992.
Delta-Mendota Canal Recirculation Feasibility Study - DMC - The Bureau of Reclamation is conducting a feasibility study to evaluate the feasibility, benefits, and impacts of recirculating water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta through the Central Valley Project (CVP) pumping and conveyance facilities to the San Joaquin River. The purpose of this Delta-Mendota Canal Recirculation Project is to provide greater flexibility in meeting the existing water quality standards and flow objectives for which the CVP has responsibility so as to reduce the demand on water from New Melones Reservoir used for water quality and flow purposes and to assist the in meeting any obligations to CVP contractors from the New Melones Project.
East Park Reservoir Resource Management Plan (RMP) - The purpose of the RMP is to assist the Bureau of Reclamation in formulating the long-range goals necessary to manage the natural resources associated with East Park Reservoir, while providing recreational opportunities for the surrounding communities.
Current public uses at East Park Reservoir include boating, camping, fishing, bird watching. East Park Reservoir is open to the public free of charge on a first-come-first served basis from approximately mid-April to October, weather permitting. The west side of the reservoir is open year-round, weather permitting.
The purpose of the RMP is to assist the Bureau of Reclamation in formulating the long-range goals necessary to manage the natural resources associated with East Park Reservoir, while providing recreational opportunities for the surrounding communities.
Current public uses at East Park Reservoir include boating, camping, fishing, bird watching, and special uses which require a permit from Reclamation such as hang gliding
The CVP East Side Division and the construction of the New Melones Dam and Powerplant is one of the more controversial chapters in the history of the Central Valley Project. Developing the division brought the need for water and flood control into direct conflict with concerns over damage to cultural resources and the environment. The battle over construction of New Melones Dam was a signal that the end of the era of large dam construction had come. The controversy focused on the loss of a popular stretch of recreational white water, inundation of archeological sites, and flooding of the West's deepest limestone canyon. Controversy over the project lasted over a decade before the decision to proceed and provide irrigation water, flood control, and power generation.
Folsom Dam Safety and Flood Damage Reduction Joint Federal Project JFP - Folsom Dam and Reservoir is a component of the Central Valley Project, operated by the Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Region, Central California Area Office. Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) have multiple authorized projects at Folsom Dam and its appurtenant structures (the Folsom Facility).
Under the Dam Safety Program, Reclamation identified the requirement for expedited action to reduce hydrologic (overtopping), seismic (earthquake), and static (seepage) events. These events have a low probability of occurrence in a given year; however, due to the large population downstream of Folsom Dam, modifying the facilities is necessary to improve public safety.
The Corps, in partnership with the State Reclamation Board and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (SAFCA), is working to implement Congressional direction to reduce the risk of flooding in the Sacramento area. The Folsom Joint Federal Project (JFP) is a collaborative effort by Reclamation and the Corps to address the dam safety hydrologic risk at the Folsom Facility and improve flood protection to at least 1/200-year levels.
Folsom Dam Road EIS
American River Watershed Project (from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Website)
Folsom Raise:
Chief of Engineers signs Folsom Dam Report (from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
Point of Contact
Drew Lessard
916/989-7180
The CVP Friant Division transports surplus northern California water though the southern part of the semiarid Central Valley. The main features of this division are Friant Dam, Friant-Kern Canal, and Madera Canal, all constructed and operated by Reclamation.
Grassland Bypass Project The Project prevents discharge of subsurface agricultural drainage water into wildlife refuges and wetlands in central California . The drainage water is conveyed instead through a segment of the San Luis Drain to Mud Slough, a tributary of the San Joaquin River .
The Project improves water quality in the wildlife refuges and wetlands, sustains the productivity of 97,000 acres of farmland, and fosters cooperation between area farmers and regulatory agencies in drainage management reduction of selenium and salt loading.
The Project is operated by the Bureau of Reclamation and the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority (Authority).
The Humboldt Project provides for storage at Rye Patch Dam, acquisition of lands and water rights upstream in the Battle Mountain area for supplementing the water supply for project lands, and utilization of the Pitt-Taylor Reservoirs. The plan is designed to provide seasonal and long-term regulation of the Humboldt River and to increase the amount of water available.
Klamath Project - The Upper Klamath River Basin has extensive land and water resources which are not fully developed. The terrain varies from rugged, heavily timbered mountain slopes to rolling sagebrush benchlands and broad, flat valleys. The project plan includes construction of facilities to divert and distribute water for irrigation of basin lands, including reclamation of Tule and Lower Klamath Lakes, and control of floods in the area.
The irrigable lands of the Klamath Project are in south-central Oregon (62 percent) and north-central California (38 percent). The Project provides full service water to approximately 240,000 acres of cropland. Two main sources supply water for the project: Upper Klamath Lake and the Klamath River; and Clear Lake Reservoir, Gerber Reservoir, and Lost River, which are located in a closed basin. The total drainage area, including the Lost River and the Klamath River watershed above Keno, Oregon, is approximately 5,700 square miles.
Located in Klamath Falls in southern Oregon, the Klamath Basin Area Office (KBAO) employs 30 staff who help manage the Klamath Project, a Federal storage project built in the early 1900's to provide irrigation for about 240,000 acres. Three reservoirs store about 1,095,000 acre-feet of water in the Klamath and Lost River Basins. More than 1,400 miles of canals and drains provide service to water users. The project occupies portions of the Klamath River and Lost River watersheds with the Klamath River Basin. In addition, four national wildlife refuges are adjacent to or within the project boundaries and receive water from from or are associated with project facilities.
The need for more certainty in project operations was heightened by drought conditions in the early 1990's, listings of species under the Endangered Species Act, and the protection of Tribal trust resources. KBAO is working with agricultural, environmental, tribal, urban, and power interests to develop a long-term operations plan to meet the competing demands for water in the Klamath Project area.
Los Vaqueros Expansion Investigation - These studies examine the feasibility of expanding Los Vaqueros Reservoir in Contra Costa County, California to improve water quality and water supply reliability for Bay Area water users while enhancing the Delta environment. Visit the project website at www.lvstudies.com to learn more about the Los Vaqueros Reservoir Expansion Studies. The website contains background information, project fact sheets, available reports, updated project activities, and more.
MP Region National Environmental Protection Act ( NEPA documents - THE place to find all environmental documents for this region such as FONSI, EIS and related.
Resource Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement RMP/EIS
The Bureau of Reclamation will prepare a combined Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (RMP/EIS) for Reclamation-managed lands located at New Melones Lake Area.
New Melones Lake Area is managed by the Central California Area Office, part of the Reclamation?s Mid-Pacific Region.
This process will include consultation with local governments and interests, public hearings and scoping, visitor surveys, and development of a document with a proposed action and alternatives.
Water for the Newlands Project is diverted from the Truckee River into the Truckee Canal for irrigation of the Truckee Division and for conveyance to Lahontan Reservoir for storage. Water stored in Lahontan Reservoir or conveyed by the Truckee Canal is released into the Carson River either directly or through Lahontan Powerplant, and is diverted into the "V" and "T" Canals at Carson Diversion Dam for irrigation of the Carson Division.
The North-of-the-Delta Off Stream Storage (NODOS) Investigation is a Feasibility Study being performed by the California Department of Water Resources and the Bureau of Reclamation, in partnership with local interests and pursuant to the CALFED Bay-Delta Program Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement/Report Record of Decision.
The Orland Project, in north-central California, is located in the Sacramento Valley about 100 miles north of Sacramento. The project incorporates parts of neighboring Glenn, Tehama, and Colusa Counties. The hub of the project, the town of Orland, is in northern Glenn County. One of the smallest projects ever tackled by Reclamation, the project irrigates one percent of the Sacramento Valley's total irrigable soil, 20,000 acres.
The project, one of the oldest federal reclamation projects in the country and one of the first undertaken in California, was authorized by the Secretary of the Interior in October 1907 after a finding of feasibility by a board of engineers. Water was delivered to the first farm units at the beginning of the 1910 growing season.
The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the Placer County Water Agency
(PCWA) are pursuing the development of a year-round water diversion facility capable of
diverting up to 35,500 acre-feet annually of PCWA?s water entitlements from its Middle Fork
Project on the American River. The Project will provide a pumping plant for PCWA to
provide year-round access to its Middle Fork American River water entitlements, eliminate
the safety hazard associated with the Auburn Dam bypass tunnel; and allow for the
beneficial use of the now dewatered river channel.
The Sacramento Canals Unit of the Central Valley Project was designed to provide irrigation water in the Sacramento Valley, principally in Tehama, Glenn, and Colusa Counties. Authorized in 1950, the unit consists of Red Bluff Diversion Dam, Funks Dam, Corning Pumping Plant, Tehama-Colusa Canal, and Corning Canal. At the upper end of the Tehama-Colusa Canal are the Tehama-Colusa Fish Facilities, which Reclamation constructed and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) operates. Full and supplemental irrigation service is provided to about 98,000 acres.
In 1963, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finished building Black Butte Dam as a separate project. The Black Butte Integration Act of October 23, 1970, brought Black Butte Dam and Reservoir under the auspices of the Sacramento River Division as the Black Butte Unit.
The San Felipe Division of the Central Valley Project, in the central coastal area of California, embraces the Santa Clara Valley in Santa Clara County, the northern portion of San Benito County, the southern portion of Santa Cruz County, and the northern edge of Monterey county. Authorized in 1960, the division provides supplemental water to 63,500 acres of land, in addition to 132,400 acre-feet of water annually for municipal and industrial use. Water from San Luis Reservoir is transported to the Santa Clara-San Benito service area through Pacheco Tunnel and other project features which include 48.5 miles of closed conduits, two pumping plants, and one small reservoir. Provisions for future construction of about 25 miles of closed conduit to Santa Cruz and Monterey counties are included in the division features.
Reclamation, along with the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority (Authority) and Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD), is preparing a Feasibility Study for the San Luis Reservoir Low Point Improvement Project (Project). In Public Law (PL) 108 361, Section 103(f)(1)(A), the Secretary of the Interior was authorized to conduct feasibility studies of San Luis Reservoir.
Shasta Lake Water Resources Investigation (SLWRI) Mission Statement: To develop an implementable plan primarily involving the enlargement of Shasta Dam and Reservoir to promote increased survival of anadromous fish populations in the upper Sacramento River; increased water supply reliability; and to the extent possible through meeting these objectives, include features to benefit other identified ecosystem, flood control, and water resources needs.
Monticello Dam is located on Putah Creek where the stream crosses the eastern boundary of Napa County. It regulates flows along the lower reaches of Putah Creek and stores surplus water.
The dam is a concrete, medium-thick arch structure with a height of 304 feet above the foundation and a crest length of 1,023 feet.
Monticello Dam Powerplant was built in 1983. It is at the base of the Monticello Dam, and has 3 generators. The was built under a FERC license and is owned, operated and maintained by Solano Irrigation District.
Stony Gorge Dam is located about 18 miles downstream from East Park Dam on Stony Creek and about 25 miles west of the town of Willows. Studies ongoing since 2001 indicated that a large earthquake could cause the vertical concrete buttresses that support the dam to buckle, possibly leading to subsequent dam leakage or collapse.
Construction of the structural modifications is scheduled to begin in late 2006 and will take about 3 years to complete. The dam modifications will consist of building a concrete wall and additional supports between the vertical buttresses to provide increased stability to them during an earthquake.
Trinity River Bridges Project - (Environmental Documents) address the environmental issues, alternatives, and impacts associated with the modification and/or replacement of the Salt Flat, Bucktail, Poker Bar, and Biggers Road bridges on the Trinity River, below Lewiston Dam. Completion of the preferred alternative at each of these bridge sites will allow these bridges to safely pass large flows to: 1) provide flexibility for possible future changes to the operation of the Trinity River Division of the Central Valley Project; 2) provide safe year-round access to cross river parcels; and 3) meet requirements for increased flows as needed for environmental and fishery restoration of the Trinity River.
At approximately 4:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 5, 2008, a breach occurred in the Truckee Canal, a Newlands Project facility in northern Nevada, owned by the Bureau of Reclamation and operated and maintained by the Truckee Carson Irrigation District (TCID). As a result of the breach, an uncontrolled release of water flowed into irrigated lands and a portion of the City of Fernley, located some 30 miles east of Reno. About 590 homes were flooded. To rapidly isolate the breach and drain the canal in the area where it occurred, TCID operated available spillways, wasteways, check structures, and nearby lateral canals. The breach was sealed by about 4 p.m. that same day. The Truckee-Carson Irrigation District began construction on January 16, 2008, to repair the breach in the Truckee Canal using a Zoned Earthfill Embankment type design. Repairs were completed on February 18, 2008. The Zoned Earthfill Embankment design is similar to that used in major earthen dam structures. This approach was used because of the urban area that lies downslope of the canal and the importance of protecting public health and safety. What makes this type of design special is that it provides multiple layers of protection to prevent failure.
Truckee River Operating Agreement - implementation of the Truckee River Operating Agreement (TROA) in accordance with Public Law 101-618, Truckee-Carson-Pyramid Lake Water Rights Settlement Act of 1990. The primary purpose of TROA is to modify operation of Federal and selected non-Federal reservoirs in the Truckee River basin located in northeastern California and northwestern Nevada, enhance conditions for threatened and endangered fish species, increase drought protection, improve river water quality, and enhance instream flows. Signatories to TROA are U.S. Department of the Interior, States of Nevada and California, Truckee Meadows Water Authority, and Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.
Supplemental water provided by the Truckee Storage Project is stored in Boca Reservoir on the Little Truckee River and released for better regulation of the Truckee River according to the Truckee River Agreement. The ditch companies which form the Washoe County Water Conservation District divert and deliver irrigation water, while 7 subdistricts maintain control and administration.
Unit Description and Facilities
The Upper San Joaquin River Basin Storage Investigation is a feasibility study being performed by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources. The investigation is evaluating alternatives to develop water supplies from the San Joaquin River that could contribute to restoration of, and improve water quality in, the San Joaquin River and enhance conjunctive management and exchanges to provide high-quality water to urban areas. This investigation is one of five surface water storage studies recommended in the CALFED Bay-Delta Program Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement/Report Record of Decision of August 2000.
The Washoe Project comprises the drainage basins of the Truckee and lower Carson Rivers. The project covers an area in west central Nevada that includes the cities of Reno, Sparks and Fallon, and the Town of Fernley. The project also covers a small portion of east central California in the vicinity of Lake Tahoe, including the cities of Truckee, Tahoe City, and South Lake Tahoe. The project was designed to improve the regulation of runoff from the Truckee and lower Carson River systems. It also provides fishery uses, flood protection, fish and wildlife benefits, and recreation development.
The Truckee and the lower Carson Rivers and their tributaries are the principal streams in the project area. The rivers drain the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada and are fed primarily by melting snow. The flows are high in the spring but drop sharply after midsummer.
Major features of the project include Prosser Creek, Stampede, and Marble Bluff Dams, and Pyramid Lake Fishway, now in operation.
The San Luis Unit, a part of the Central Valley Project and also part of the State of California Water Plan, was authorized in 1960. Reclamation and the State of California constructed and operates this unit jointly. Some features are "joint-use facilities" of the Federal Government and the State. The principal purpose of the Federal portion of the facilities is to furnish approximately 1.25 million acre-feet of water as a supplemental irrigation supply to some 600,000 acres located in the western portion of Fresno, Kings, and Merced Counties.
