Funds for construction of the initial features of the Central Valley Project were provided by the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935 (49 Stat. 115). The Secretary of the Interior authorized the project and the President approved it on December 2, 1935.

The Shasta and Trinity River Division of the Central Valley Project was authorized by Public Law 386, 84th Congress, 1st Session, approved August 12, 1955.

The Central Valley Project, one of the Nation's major water conservation developments, extends from the Cascade Range on the north to the semiarid but fertile plains along the Kern River on the south. Initial features of the project were built primarily to protect the Central Valley from crippling water shortages and menacing floods. New project units were built to provide water and power to match the continued growth of the State.

Although developed primarily for irrigation, this multiple-purpose project also provides flood control, improves Sacramento River navigation, supplies domestic and industrial water, generates electric power, conserves fish and wildlife, creates opportunities for recreation, and enhances water quality.

The Trinity River Division consists of Trinity Dam and Clair Engle Lake, Trinity Powerplant, Lewiston Dam and Lake, Lewiston Powerplant, Clear Creek Tunnel, Judge Francis Carr Powerhouse, Whiskeytown Dam and Lake, Spring Creek Tunnel and Powerplant, Spring Creek Debris Dam and Reservoir, and related pumping and distribution facilities. These facilities were built and are operated by the Bureau of Reclamation.