The Central Valley Project (CVP) is a federal power and

water management Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful for humans, for example as a source of drinking water supply or irrigation water. These resources can be either freshwater from natural sources, or water produced artificia ...

project in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

under the supervision of the

United States Bureau of Reclamation The Bureau of Reclamation, formerly the United States Reclamation Service, is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees water resource management, specifically as it applies to the oversight and operatio ...

(USBR). It was devised in 1933 in order to provide

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...

and municipal water to much of California's Central Valley—by regulating and storing water in reservoirs in the northern half of the state (once considered water-rich but suffering water-scarce conditions more than half the year in most years), and transporting it to the water-poor

San Joaquin Valley The San Joaquin Valley ( ; Spanish language in California, Spanish: ''Valle de San Joaquín'') is the southern half of California's Central Valley (California), Central Valley. Famed as a major breadbasket, the San Joaquin Valley is an importa ...

and its surroundings by means of a series of canals, aqueducts and pump plants, some shared with the

California State Water Project The California State Water Project, commonly known as the SWP, is a state water management project in the U.S. state of California under the supervision of the California Department of Water Resources. The SWP is one of the largest public wat ...

(SWP). Many CVP water users are represented by the Central Valley Project Water Association. In addition to water storage and regulation, the system has a

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

capacity of over 2,000

megawatt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...

s, and provides

recreation Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for happiness, enjoyment, amusement, ...

and

flood control Flood management or flood control are methods used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters. Flooding can be caused by a mix of both natural processes, such as extreme weather upstream, and human changes to waterbodies and ru ...

with its twenty dams and reservoirs. It has allowed major cities to grow along Valley rivers which previously would flood each spring, and transformed the

semi-arid A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a aridity, dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below Evapotranspiration#Potential evapotranspiration, potential evapotranspiration, but not as l ...

desert A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...

environment of the San Joaquin Valley into productive farmland. Freshwater stored in

Sacramento River The Sacramento River () is the principal river of Northern California in the United States and is the largest river in California. Rising in the Klamath Mountains, the river flows south for before reaching the Sacramento–San Joaquin River D ...

reservoirs and released downriver during dry periods prevents salt water from intruding into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta during

high tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...

. There are eight divisions of the project and ten corresponding units, many of which operate in conjunction, while others are independent of the rest of the network. California agriculture and related industries now directly account for 7% of the gross state product for which the CVP supplied water for about half. Many CVP operations have had considerable environmental consequences, including a decline in the

salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...

population of four major California rivers in the northern state, and the reduction of

riparian zone A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. In some regions, the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, riparian corridor, and riparian strip are used to characterize a ripari ...

s and

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

s. Many historical sites and Native American tribal lands have been flooded by CVP reservoirs. In addition, runoff from intensive irrigation has polluted rivers and

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and Pore space in soil, soil pore spaces and in the fractures of stratum, rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available fresh water in the world is groundwater. A unit ...

. The Central Valley Project Improvement Act, passed in 1992, intends to alleviate some of the problems associated with the CVP with programs like the Refuge Water Supply Program. In recent years, a combination of

drought A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...

and regulatory decisions passed based on the

Endangered Species Act of 1973 The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA; 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.) is the primary law in the United States for protecting and conserving imperiled species. Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of e ...

have forced Reclamation to turn off much of the water for the west side of the San Joaquin Valley in order to protect the fragile ecosystem in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and keep alive the dwindling fish populations of Northern and Central California rivers. In 2017 the Klamath and Trinity rivers witnessed the worst fall run Chinook salmon return in recorded history, leading to a disaster declaration in California and Oregon due to the loss of the commercial fisheries. The recreational fall Chinook salmon fishery in both the ocean and the Trinity and Klamath rivers was also closed in 2017. Only 1,123 adult winter Chinook salmon returned to the Sacramento Valley in 2017, according to a report sent to the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). This is the second lowest number of returning adult winter run salmon since modern counting techniques were implemented in 2003. By comparison, over 117,000 winter Chinooks returned to spawn in 1969.

Overview

Operations

The CVP stores about of water in 20 reservoirs in the foothills of the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

, the

Klamath Mountains The Klamath Mountains are a rugged and lightly populated mountain range in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon in the western United States. As a mountain system within both the greater Pacific Coast Ranges and the California Coast R ...

and the

California Coast Ranges The Coast Ranges of California span from Del Norte County, California, Del Norte or Humboldt County, California, south to Santa Barbara County, California, Santa Barbara County. The other three coastal California mountain ranges are the Trans ...

, and passes about of water annually through its canals. Of the water transported, about goes to irrigate of farmland, supplies municipal uses, and is released into rivers and wetlands in order to comply with state and federal ecological standards. Two large reservoirs, Shasta Lake and Trinity Lake, are formed by a pair of dams in the mountains north of the

Sacramento Valley The Sacramento Valley is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies north of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the Sacramento River. It encompasses all or parts of ten Northern California ...

. Water from Shasta Lake flows into the

which flows to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and water from Trinity Lake flows into the Trinity River which leads to the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

. Both lakes release water at controlled rates. There, before it can flow on to

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay (Chochenyo language, Chochenyo: 'ommu) is a large tidal estuary in the United States, U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the cities of San Francisco, California, San ...

and the

, some of the water is intercepted by a diversion channel and transported to the Delta-Mendota Canal, which conveys water southwards through the San Joaquin Valley, supplying water to San Luis Reservoir (a SWP-shared facility) and the

San Joaquin River The San Joaquin River ( ; ) is the longest river of Central California. The long river starts in the high Sierra Nevada and flows through the rich agricultural region of the northern San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suisun Bay, San Francis ...

at Mendota Pool in the process, eventually reaching canals that irrigates farms in the valley. Friant Dam crosses the San Joaquin River upstream of Mendota Pool, diverting its water southwards into canals that travel into the

Tulare Lake Tulare Lake () or Tache Lake ( Yokuts: ''Pah-áh-su'', ''Pah-áh-sē'') is a freshwater lake in the southern San Joaquin Valley, California, United States. Historically, Tulare Lake was once the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi R ...

area of the San Joaquin Valley, as far south as the

Kern River The Kern River is an Endangered, Wild and Scenic river in the U.S. state of California, approximately long. It drains an area of the southern Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between ...

. Finally, New Melones Lake, a separate facility, stores water flow of a San Joaquin River tributary for use during dry periods. Other smaller, independent facilities exist to provide water to local irrigation districts.

Background

The Central Valley Project was the world's largest water and power project when undertaken during

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...

public works Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and procured by a government body for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, ...

agenda. The Project was the culmination of eighty years of political fighting over the state's most important natural resource -

Water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...

. The Central Valley of California lies to the west of the Sierra Nevada Mountains with its annual run-off draining into the Pacific Ocean through the

Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta The Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, or California Delta, is an expansive inland river delta and estuary in Central California and Northern California Northern California (commonly shortened to NorCal) is a geocultural region that ...

. It is a large receding

geological Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth s ...

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river. Floodplains stretch from the banks of a river channel to the base of the enclosing valley, and experience flooding during periods of high Discharge (hydrolog ...

moderated by its

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

of dry summers and wet winters that includes regular major drought cycles. At the time of its construction, the project was at the center of a political and cultural battle over the state's future. It intersected with the state's ongoing war over land use, access to water rights, impacts on indigenous communities, large vs. small farmers, the state's irrigation districts and public vs. private power. Its proponents ignored environmental concerns over its impacts, other than the outcome not damage the major stakeholders at that time. The Central Valley of California has gone through two distinct culturally driven

land use Land use is an umbrella term to describe what happens on a parcel of land. It concerns the benefits derived from using the land, and also the land management actions that humans carry out there. The following categories are used for land use: fo ...

eras. The first was the indigenous tribal period that lasted for thousands of years. Then came the arrival of Europeans, first by the Spanish colonial model of

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

missions and ranchos (1772–1846) was then followed by the current United States era. Due to its

, the first

cultural Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

period was

hunter-gatherer A hunter-gatherer or forager is a human living in a community, or according to an ancestrally derived Lifestyle, lifestyle, in which most or all food is obtained by foraging, that is, by gathering food from local naturally occurring sources, esp ...

based. The Spanish missions' ranching and tanning business was based on the forced labor of Las Californias tribes. Spain's model of land use with the

grazing In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to free range (roam around) and consume wild vegetations in order to feed conversion ratio, convert the otherwise indigestible (by human diges ...

livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...

for meat, wool and leather started along

Alta California Alta California (, ), also known as Nueva California () among other names, was a province of New Spain formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but was made a separat ...

's coast eventually spreading inland. The U.S. era evolved from primarily ranching to large-scale

plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...

s or more commonly known today as

corporate farming Corporate farming is the practice of large-scale agriculture on farms owned or greatly influenced by large companies. This includes corporate ownership of farms and the sale of Agricultural production, agricultural products, as well as the roles o ...

that turned the Central Valley into the

breadbasket The breadbasket of a country or of a region is an area which, because of the richness of the soil and/or advantageous climate, produces large quantities of wheat or other grain. Rice bowl is a similar term used to refer to Southeast Asia; Calif ...

of the U.S. Following the 1848

California Gold Rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...

, large numbers of U.S. citizens came into the region and made attempts to practice

rainfed agriculture Rainfed agriculture is a type of farming that relies on rainfall for water. It provides much of the food consumed by poor communities in developing countries. E.g., rainfed agriculture accounts for more than 95% of farmed land in sub-Saharan Afric ...

, but most of the Central Valley land was taken up by large cattle ranchers like

Henry Miller Henry Valentine Miller (December 26, 1891 – June 7, 1980) was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. He broke with existing literary forms and developed a new type of semi-autobiographical novel that blended character study, so ...

who eventually controlled 22,000 square miles of land. The large-scale

levee A levee ( or ), dike (American English), dyke (British English; see American and British English spelling differences#Miscellaneous spelling differences, spelling differences), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is an elevated ridge, natural ...

construction by Chinese workers along the

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...

was where limited

for orchards first started. Following the arrival of the

Transcontinental railroad A transcontinental railroad or transcontinental railway is contiguous rail transport, railroad trackage that crosses a continent, continental land mass and has terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks may be via the Ra ...

, immigration from Asia and the rest of the U.S. led to growing numbers of settlers in the region. Despite the rich soils and favorable weather of the Central Valley, immigrants to the valley who were unfamiliar with its seasonal patterns of rainfall and flooding began to take up irrigation practices. Farmers soon found themselves troubled by frequent floods in the Sacramento Valley and a general lack of water in the San Joaquin Valley. The

, which drains the northern part, receives between 60 and 75% of the precipitation in the Valley, despite the Sacramento Valley covering less area than the much larger San Joaquin Valley, drained by the

, which receives only about 25% of the rainfall. Furthermore, cities drawing water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta faced problems in dry summer and autumn months when the inflowing water was low. In order to continue to sustain the valley's economy, there needed to be systems to regulate flows in the rivers and equally distribute water among the north and south parts of the valley.

History

In 1873, Barton S. Alexander completed a report for the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wor ...

that was the first attempt at creating a Central Valley Project. In 1904, the Bureau of Reclamation (then the Reclamation Service) first became interested in creating such a water project, but did not get far involved until a series of droughts and related disasters occurred in the early 1920s. The State of California passed the Central Valley Project Act in 1933, which authorized Reclamation to sell revenue bonds in order to raise about $170 million for the project. Unfortunately, because of insufficient money in the state's treasury and the coincidence with the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, California turned to the national government for funding to build the project. This resulted in several transfers of the project between California and the federal government, and between Reclamation and the Army Corps of Engineers. The first dams and canals of the project started going up in the late 1930s, and the last facilities were completed in the early 1970s. Other features of the project were never constructed, some lie partly finished, or are still awaiting authorization.

Timeline

* pre-western arrival – Tribal culture - seasonal migratory locations between the Tulares and

Sierra foothills Sierra Foothills is a vast American Viticultural Area (AVA) encompassing portions of seven of the twelve California counties in the foothill "belt" of the Sierra Nevadas in north-central California, an interior range that extends about in a nor ...

* 1493 – The

Papal Bull A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden Seal (emblem), seal (''bulla (seal), bulla'') traditionally appended to authenticate it. History Papal ...

known as the Discovery Doctrine, in Latin titled the "Inter Caetera", gave

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

the right to take land and convert the indigenous occupants to Christianity in areas west of the Inter Caetera's line of demarcation, which divided the

Western Hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the 180th meridian.- The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Geopolitically, ...

* 1769–76 – The arrival of

and its

Spanish missions in California The Spanish missions in California () formed a List of Spanish missions in California, series of 21 religious outposts or missions established between 1769 and 1833 in what is now the U.S. state of California. The missions were established by ...

- Indians promised sovereign control * 1822 -

Republic of Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

formed - breaks with Spain's sovereign promise to California

Mission Indians Mission Indians was a term used to refer to the Indigenous peoples of California who lived or grew up in the Spanish mission system in California. Today the term is used to refer to their descendants and to specific, contemporary tribal nations ...

* 1823 - The Papal Bulls that made up the Discovery doctrine from 1455 and 1493 becomes part of U.S. Law * 1833 - Secularization Act closes

California Missions The Spanish missions in California () formed a series of 21 religious outposts or missions established between 1769 and 1833 in what is now the U.S. state of California. The missions were established by Catholic priests of the Franciscan ord ...

and sells off church properties * The act initiated the transfer of 64 million acres of tribal lands via

land grants A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

or Ranchos to former Spanish citizens of

Californio Californios (singular Californio) are Californians of Spaniards, Spanish descent, especially those descended from settlers of the 17th through 19th centuries before California was annexed by the United States. California's Spanish language in C ...

* 1846 Bear Flag Rebellion - as part of the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

and U.S. invasion of California - Republic of California * 1846 -

John Fremont John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

kills original owner of the largest North American mercury mine at

New Almaden New Almaden, known in Spanish language, Spanish as Nueva Almadén, is a historic community and former mercury (element), mercury mine in the Capitancillos Hills of San Jose, California, located at the southwestern point of Almaden Valley, San Jo ...

after failing to buy it * 1846 - Yerba Buena

land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

takes its name from local Catholic mission and becomes San Francisco * 1848 -

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo officially ended the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). It was signed on 2 February 1848 in the town of Villa de Guadalupe, Mexico City, Guadalupe Hidalgo. After the defeat of its army and the fall of the cap ...

promises Mexican-Americans ownership of their Ranchos (ranches) and

water rights Water right in water law is the right of a user to use water from a water source, e.g., a river, stream, pond or source of groundwater. In areas with plentiful water and few users, such systems are generally not complicated or contentious. In o ...

* 1849 - Influx of 80,000 immigrants during

Gold Rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...

includes

riots A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The p ...

and land theft by

squatter Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building (usually residential) that the squatter does not Land ownership and tenure, own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estima ...

movement * Sept-Oct - Californians meets in Monterrey for the first California Constitutional Convention * 1850 -

admitted to Union * 1850s -

Hydraulic mining Hydraulic mining is a form of mining that uses high-pressure jets of water to dislodge rock material or move sediment.Paul W. Thrush, ''A Dictionary of Mining, Mineral, and Related Terms'', US Bureau of Mines, 1968, p.560. In the placer mining of ...

in gold region contaminates Sacramento Delta with silt and mercury * 1850 - California Indian Protection Act removes Indian's civil rights and enslaves them, starting the mass

genocide Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people. Raphael Lemkin, who first coined the term, defined genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group" by ...

of many of the state's 300 tribes * 1850 - California adopts

British Common Law English law is the common law legal system of England and Wales, comprising mainly criminal law and civil law, each branch having its own courts and procedures. The judiciary is independent, and legal principles like fairness, equality befor ...

causing 70 years of disputes over water rights * 1850 - Squatters cut down the world's largest Blossom Rock Redwoods and clearcut the groves on Peralta and Moraga's ranchos in Oakland hills * 1851-90 California Lands Commission - Mexican-American Ranchos lost to whites * 1851 - Catholic Church attempts to get land for Mission tribes from California Lands Commission but fails * 1851-1890 - Indians populations decimated * 1851 - Tribes Rounded up by U.S. Army and forced to sign 18 treaties * 1850 Swamp Act - Enables

to eventually own over 1 million acres of land in the Central valley * 1853 - Americans cut Mother of the Forest causing international uproar * The

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

Clearcutting Clearcutting, clearfelling or clearcut logging is a forestry/logging practice in which most or all trees in an area are uniformly cut down. Along with Shelterwood cutting, shelterwood and Seed tree, seed tree harvests, it is used by foresters t ...

in the Sierra Nevada Mountains resulted in expanded flooding and

environmental degradation Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, referring respectively to all living and non-living things occurring naturally and the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism ...

* 1853 - First documented American irrigation ditch constructed in Visalia, Tulare County * 1855 - Van Ness ordinance - State adopts illegal grab of San Francisco lands * 1860 - San Francisco beats U.S. Government in Supreme Court over land claims * 1861 - Chinese build Sacramento Delta levees * 1862 - Sacramento and levees destroyed by flooding - levees rebuilt * 1862 - Lincoln passes Transcontinental Railroad Act giving away 140 million acres to railroad barons * 1862 -

Homestead Act The Homestead Acts were several laws in the United States by which an applicant could acquire ownership of Federal lands, government land or the American frontier, public domain, typically called a Homestead (buildings), homestead. In all, mo ...

allows adults who never took up arms against the government the right to claim 160 acres * May 14 - California legislation permits the formation of canal construction companies * 1866 - San Francisco wins

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

case and all illegal land takings * 1866 - The

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...

formed as

Land-grant university A land-grant university (also called land-grant college or land-grant institution) is an institution of higher education in the United States designated by a state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Land-Grant Acts, Morrill Acts of 1862 and ...

with the right to take public lands * 1866
Mining Act
included the right of miners to take public lands for ditches and dams * 1869 -

completed - new immigration rush * 1869 - First systematic Irrigation was in Anaheim and Riverside * 1872 - Desert Land Act allows irrigation and lands in the west * 1872 - California Irrigation Act passed by the state legislature allowing for cooperative water irrigation development. * 1872 - US Mining Act * 1873 - Congress sets up the Alexander Commission to design an irrigation system for the Central Valley. * 1874 - Alexander Commission report sent to congress in March * 1878 - Workingmen's Party takes control of state government on an anti-railroad campaign * 1878 - William Hammond Hall obtains $100,000 to produce statewide irrigation plan - project collapses * 1879 - New Constitution for state passed by workingmen bans Southern Pacific R.R. lobbying * 1880 - Formation of California Railroad Commission known today as the California Public Utilities Commission * 1884 - The use of

in gold mining of the Sierra's damages Sacramento watershed and is forced to stop * 1886 - Miller-Lux Cattle Ranch v. Tevis-Haggins water wars:

Riparian A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. In some regions, the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, riparian corridor, and riparian strip are used to characterize a ripar ...

v. Prior-appropriation water rights * 1887 - State of California establishes the Modesto Irrigation District * Mar 7 - California Wright Act okays the formation of irrigation districts.
It was renamed as the California Irrigation District Act in 1917.
* 1890 - Canal Act reserved federal authority for

right of way A right of way (also right-of-way) is a specific route that people, animals, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel, or the legal status that gives them the right to do so. Rights-of-way in the physical sense include controlled-access h ...

to canals on public lands * 1898 - San Francisco passes Charter that calls for public ownership of transit, telephones, water and power * 1899 - Elwood Mead is appointed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to carry out irrigation surveys * 1901 - Right to Construct Reservoir
by corporations
on public lands * 1902 - National Reclamation Act passed that created the

(USBR) * 1902
Tulare Irrigation District v. Shepard irrigation district legal dispute
* 1905
Owens valley water plan okayed by Los Angeles Water Commission
* 1905 - $40 million statewide irrigation plan fails to due to lack of financing support * 1905 -

Salton Sea The Salton Sea is a shallow, landlocked, highly salinity, saline endorheic lake in Riverside County, California, Riverside and Imperial County, California, Imperial counties in Southern California. It lies on the San Andreas Fault within the S ...

created by irrigation diversion of Colorado River * 1907 - City of San Francisco votes to construct a water and power supply known as Hetch Hetchy that is located Yosemite * 1911 - Constitutional Act - California Railroad Commission takes over regulatory role of cities for electric rates * 1913 - Water Commission Act attempts to sort out the state's water rights * 1913 - The Raker Act passes, permitting

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

to build a public water and power system at Hetch Hetchy * 1915 - State Water Problems Conference set up holding hearings the following year - decision Riparian rights the problem * 1915 - California Irrigation Act declared unconstitutional by state supreme court * 1917 - California Hawson Bill provides relief to water appropriator claims from Riparian Rights lawsuits * 1918-20 - State suffers severe drought * 1919 - Chief Hydrographer of the

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an government agency, agency of the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geograp ...

Robert Bradford Marshall sends report titled the "Irrigation of Twelve Million Acres in the Valley of California" to Governor William Stephens Marshall is considered the father of the Central Valley Project * Jan 14 - The city of Oroville Ca. moves ahead with plan to purchase PG&E gas and power operations * Feb 3 - U.S. presidential candidate Senator Hiram Johnson is in favor of public ownership of electric utilities * Feb 18 - Glenn County Ca. considers formation of an Irrigation district to take advantage of planned Iron Mountain dam * 1920 Jan 4 - Sacramento Valley Irrigation Association calls for water congress at the Capital * Jan 10 - The U.S. Corps of Engineers proposes 3 dams and a series of locks on the Sacramento River * Jan 14 - Western States request $250 million for irrigation projects * Jan 23 - The Yuba-Nevada-Sutter Water and Power Association established for 80,000 acre water and power project * Jan 23 - Santa Barbara plan to add powerhouse as way to pay for the city's Gibraltar dam project * Jan 24 - Eureka Chamber of Commerce opposes proposed dam across Eel River others opposed due to fishing impacts * Jan 29 - PG&E which relies heavily on hydro-electricity prepares emergency power plans due to lack of rainfall * Feb 8 - Interior Secretary Franklin Lane requests $12.8 million for annual western irrigation funding * Feb 8 -

The Sacramento Union ''The Sacramento Union'' was a daily newspaper founded in 1851 in Sacramento, California. It was the oldest daily newspaper west of the Mississippi River before it closed its doors after 143 years in January 1994, no longer able to compete with ' ...

asks public to "Pray for rain" on the front page of its newspaper * Feb 11 - Nevada County farmers protest PG&E's attempt to divert their water supplies at California Railroad Commission * Feb 24 - Miller & Lux legal fight against the Madera Irrigation District to take water from the San Joaquin River * Feb 25 - Major Water and Power rationing announced due to Northern California drought * Feb 26 - The Sacramento Valley water and irrigation congress asks governor to call a special legislative session on drought * Mar 13 - Proposal to build three powerhouses and divert

American River The American River is a List of rivers of California, river in California that runs from the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada mountain range to its confluence with the Sacramento River in downtown Sacramento. Via the Sacramento River, it ...

water for irrigation in Placer County * Mar 25 - Ninety California power companies meet and agree to let state power administrator manage power during crisis * April 21 - PG&E announces plans to spend $15 Million in next two years on new power development * April 30 - Sacramento politicians call for takeover of PG&E's electric and transit system * May - The National Electric Light Association releases its National Water power report * May 1 - PG&E announces $10 million plan to construct hydro-electric

dams A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, ...

on Pit River * May 11 - The California Railroad Commission (CPUC) emergency plan opposed by the Association of Irrigation Districts of Northern California * May 13 - PG&E acknowledged during hearings that it used ratepayer money for political campaigns * May 17 - Yolo County announces plan to create 100,000 acre irrigation district * May 18 - Proposal to construct dam across the

Carquinez Strait The Carquinez Strait (; Spanish: ''Estrecho de Carquinez'') is a narrow tidal strait located in the Bay Area of Northern California, United States. It is part of the tidal estuary of the Sacramento and the San Joaquin rivers as they drain int ...

to stop saltwater incursions * May 27 - Impacts of

Sierra Nevada's Forests and flooding Central Valley made public * June 7 - Water wars between Northern California irrigation districts and Contra Costa and Delta farmers over salt water incursions * June 10 - 1920 Federal Water Power Act Signed into law that allows for expediting nationwide development of hydro-electric projects on U.S. rivers * June 20 - PG&E applies to state railroad commission for rule changes to protect itself during power and water shortage * July 4 - U.S. War Department begins investigation of building 4 dams and mobile locks on Sacramento River * July 10 - PG&E curtails afternoon water pumping in five irrigation districts * July 13 - City of Antioch starts lawsuit against rice farmers that threatens Water supply * July 24 - The Madera Irrigation District starts the Madera dam project on

which later becomes Friant Dam * July 27 - California representative protests Nevada's plan to take

Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe (; Washo language, Washo: ''dáʔaw'') is a Fresh water, freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the Western United States, straddling the border between California and Nevada. Lying at above sea level, Lake Tahoe is the largest a ...

water * July 28 - 800,000 acres of Miller-Lux land and water rights to be subdivided and sold to small farmers * July 31 - The Glenn-Colusa irrigation district announce plan for a 1 million acre reservoir in Shasta county * Aug 5 - Irrigation companies organize their own plan for water development * Aug 15 - Colonel Robert B Marshall of USGS Plan introduced at Sacramento Valley Development Assoc. * Aug 24 - War Department's plan for four Dam dragged into lawsuit between Antioch and California rice farmers * Sept 26 - Major support for state Marshall Plan announced * Oct 7 - Carquinez Straights dam not feasible * Oct 11 - Court case between Rice farmers and Antioch continues * Oct 17 - Marshall Plan will ask state legislature for $500,000 survey * Oct 30 - The California State Irrigation Association expands its operations and support for statewide Marshall water plan * Nov 10 - California League of Municipalities to cooperate in legislation on public power and water * Nov 11 - Valley Cities urged to develop public power * Nov 20 - Klamath Chamber of Commerce opens hearings on public vs. private power and water development * Nov 21 - Locals opposed to California-Oregon Power Company's

Klamath River The Klamath River (Karuk language, Karuk: ''Ishkêesh'', Klamath language, Klamath: ''Koke'', Yurok language, Yurok: ''Hehlkeek 'We-Roy'') is a long river in southern Oregon and northern California. Beginning near Klamath Falls, Oregon, Klama ...

power monopoly * Dec 21 - Giant Boulder Dam plan on Colorado River by Southern California Edison announced * 1920 PUC report on SVWCo * 1921 - The Municipal Utility District Act (MUD Act) passed by the California Legislature * Jan 5 - Marshall Plan proposes Shasta dam to be located at Kennett rather than Iron Mountain * Jan 7 - State Senator M.B Johnson introduces California Water and Power senate bill * Jan 7 – 13 years of bloodshed and litigation end with PG&E winning water rights * Jan 11 - The California State Irrigation Association and Sacramento Union promotes Marshall Plan review * Jan 21 - $500,000 for Marshall water plan study introduced at state legislature * Jan 29 - League of California Municipalities develop plan for public power legislation * Jan 29 - Sacramento City Attorney attacks California Railroad commission for bias towards PG&E * Jan 30 - Marshall Plan endorsement by League of California Municipalities * Feb 23 - Marshall Plan endorsed by Southern California municipalities * Mar 10 - The California State Irrigation Association sends Col. Marshall's list of 346 reservoir candidates to the League of California Municipalities * Mar 14 - Details of the Marshall Plan promoted by the California State Irrigation Association * Mar 15 - Municipal Utility District law results in heavy debate * Mar 20 - State, federal and global impacts on the passage of the 1920 Water and Power Act * Apr 2 - San Francisco Commonwealth Club opposes Marshall Plan during legislative hearings in Sacramento * Apr 2 - Attempt by electric company supporter to kill Johnson's Water and Power Bill fails in Senate * Apr 21 - Growing concern in San Joaquin Valley over Southern California power companies taking hydro-electric sites * Apr 22 - Marshall Plan for Sacramento River irrigation survey given $200,000 by legislature * Apr 26 - Johnson Power & Water Bill 397 loses by 4 votes in assembly committee * Apr 28 - Municipal Utility District Act passed by state senate * Apr 30 - Sacramento Union editorial calls for statewide vote after electric company lobby kills Johnson Power Bill * May 4 - Sacramento City Commission resolution calls for emergency meeting of League of California Municipalities (248 cities)over Johnson bill * May 9 - Sacramento City Attorney says public ownership could reduce electric rates from 8 cents to .8 cent * May 17 - Sacramento City Commission report on building its own hydro-electric site on Silver Creek * May 20 - Plan set up for statewide public power initiative at emergency meeting of League of California Municipalities * May 20 - California State Irrigation Association endorses Marshall plan and Municipal League's statewide vote * May 24 - Governor signs Municipal Utility District Act into law * June 4 - $200,000 survey fund for Marshall Plan signed by governor * July 1 - Miller and Lux loses its lawsuit to stop the Madera Irrigation District from using water from the San Joaquin river * July 22 - Summary of the proposed Water and Power Act is modeled like the Ontario Canada hydro-electric system * July 27 - State Water & Power Act initiative petition drive announced * July 28 - Sacramento City Attorney Robert Shinn comes out against statewide Water and Power initiative * Aug 4 - Riverside Chamber of Commerce circulates claim of "City Against Country" over Los Angeles public power * Aug 29 - Committee redraft of initiative accepted by Shinn with petition gathering for 120,000 signatures to begin * Sept 29 - California state control of water and power urged by former Interior Secretary Gifford Pinchot * Sept 14 - $500 million public Water and Power plan will be on the 1922 election * Nov 15 - state funded Marshall survey of water resources begins * Nov 22 - Water and Power initiative attacked by state senator * Dec 29 - Herbert Hoover placed in charge of Colorado River Commission that is reviewing plan for Boulder dam * Dec 29 - State railroad commission okays PG&E plan for $5 million to expand its Pit River hydro-electric developments * Dec 31 - Water & Power Initiative qualifies for November 1922 statewide ballot * 1922 Jan 1 - World's highest dam proposed at Boulder Canyon * Jan 6 - The Water and Power Initiative qualifies for the November 1922 ballot * Jan 22 - PG&E front group "Greater California League" attacks water and power act * Feb 23 - Antioch decides to build reservoirs to store water to counter summer salt-water incursions * Feb 24 - PG&E president attacks water and power act initiative at Modesto Progressive men's Business club * Mar 7 - California State Irrigation Association comes out against water and power initiative * Mar 17 - Boulder (Hoover) Dam okayed * Apr 1 - Summary of the Water and Power Act debate held by the Commonwealth Club of California * Apr 2 - Application for major Shasta water diversion by engineers from San Joaquin Light & Power company * Apr 16 - Full page attack against Water and Power act published by S.F. Chronicle * Apr 30 - San Francisco Chronicle claims water and Power act is an attempt to "foist communism on people" * May 4 - Supreme Court to rule on PG&E ratebase inclusion of $52 million decision by state railroad commission * Jun 11 - Robert Marshall comes out against the Water and power act (he later reverses himself) * Sep 28 - Water and Power Act leader, Rudolph Spreckels blames power companies for his ouster at bank * Sep 30 - First phase in PG&E's $100 million Pit River hydro-electric project turned on * Oct 2 - Riverside Daily Press prints story that lies about Rudolph Spreckels and power and water act history
Proposition 19 - Water and Power Initiative Summary and full wording
* Nov 9 - Proposition 19 (Water and Power Act) loses (243,604 to 597,453) * Nov - 1922 Water and power Act initiative fails due to $3 million dollar electric industry PR campaign * Water & Power Act electric company fraud investigated in 1934 by FTC. Testimony placed expenditure at over $1 million against initiative - working on cite - * Dec 1 - Water Power Act supporters plan for a new initiative attempt for 1924 * 1923 Feb - California media fails to expose $14,000 bribe, uncovered during senate investigation, to California State Irrigation Association by electric front group for reversing support of water and power initiative * Feb 12 - State Senate investigation exposes opponents spent $234,000 to stop the Water and Power initiative * Feb 13 - San Francisco Civic League of Improvement given $4,000 to distribute 200,000 flyers against Water and Power initiative * Feb 13 - Former SF Mayor and labor leader given $10,000 to oppose initiative while unions were all for it * Feb 13 - Southern California newspaper reports $393,000 spent against water and power initiative * Feb 16 - New PG&E filings with senate investigation place total spent against water and power initiative at over $500,000 * Feb 24 - P.H. McCarthy forced to resign from San Francisco Trades Council due to his role in water and power initiative * Feb - Senate Hearings Summary - 1934 12-12 - Federal Trade Commission Investigation: pg 268-273 of 1922 initiative * July 23 - Sacramento County voters form the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.
1924 Proposition 16 Water and Power Summary and full text
* Sept 3 - Col. Robert Marshall comes out in favor of power and water initiative * Sept 6 - Arguments for and against Prop 16, the water and power act with Robert Marshall making the for statement * Oct 28 – Robert Marshall speaks in favor of Water and Power Act * Nov – California Municipalities League attempt at Water & Power fails again * 1925 June 20 - San Francisco board of supervisors illegally sells Hetch Hetchy power to PG&E * Note - Add link to actual propositions from hastings...
1926 Proposition 18 Water and Power summary and full text
* 1926 - California Water & Power Initiative fails for 3rd time * 1927 - Cal Bulletin #18 Cal irrigation District Laws * 1929 - $390,000 authorized to investigate state's water resources * 1930 - Federal-State Water Resources Commission report proposes federal project * 1931 - state water plan legislature report proposing new CVP plan * Jan 30 - The Hoover-Young Commission report estimate that state water plan will cost $374 million * 1933 Mar. 4 - Franklin D. Roosevelt sworn in as president includes major public works projects * July 8 - Bureau of Reclamation ( USBR) okays funding for Central Valley Act (CVP) * Jul 15 - Details of CVP legislation announced with plan to cooperate with USBR * Jul 20 - CVP bill stalls in legislature when rules committee blocks it * Jul 22 - CVP legislation revived in state senate after federal support promised * July 27 - California Legislature votes for CVP Act assembly passing it 58-9 senate passes vote 23-15. * Aug - PG&E funds petition drive for referendum that was run by a company lawyer named Aherne * Aug 5 - Governor signs $170 million CVP Act into law * Dec 15 - Local state representative urges a yes vote on CVP while large PG&E opposed is to the right of article * Dec 15 - SF Chamber of Commerce openly opposes CVP Act * Dec 17 - CVP special election debate pros and cons along with map of project * Dec 19
Voter Information Guide for Proposition One - CVP special election
* Dec 19 - CVP referendum to go ahead wins 459,712 for to 426,109 * Dec 21 - Great Water Project vote increases CVP vote status * CVP victory due to dead Catalina cow with Slovenian community vote over fisherman's felony conviction * 1933 - SF Labor Council obtains PG&E political expenditures report to state * 1933 - PG&E spent $275,737.18 on political and other donations according to State Railroad Commission * 1934 Nov 6 - Sacramento, CA votes to form Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) and purchase PG&E properties with $12 million in bonds * 1935 Jan 2 - PG&E files suit to try to overturn the formation of SMUD and its buyout of PG&E * Aug 30 - Rivers and Harbors Act authorizes $12 million funding by Army Corps of Engineers for CVP - never happens * Dec 2 - USBR takes over CVP, loans $4.2 million - new estimate increases to $228 million source 1942 CVP Writers Project Dec 2 - USBR regulations stipulate that water only be given out to farmers with 160 acres of land or less - see 4-7-1944 * 1936 June 22 - Sacramento and San Joaquin Flood Control Studies okayed by Rivers and Harbors Ac
1936
* Sept 12 - Ceremonies at Kennett for Shasta Dam * Oct 19 - Contra Costa Canal Work begins * Oct 22 - Governor hears $477 million CVP plan * 1938 Mar 2 - State water authority commissioner opposed to agreement between PG&E and SMUD * Jul 6 - contract $35.9 million for Shasta reservoir given * Sept 8 - Shasta Construction work starts * 1939 - Fortune Magazine Map of PG&E territory * Nov 5 - Construction of $8.7 million Friant Dam begins * Nov 27 - Pacific Gas & Electric Co. proposes to buy and distribute all of Shasta Dam power * 1940
US v. San Francisco
Interior Sec. Ickes wins case to force San Francisco via the Raker Act to stop its sale of Hetch Hetchy water to PG&E * Jan 7 - California legislature blocks Governor Olson proposal to unfreeze $170 CVP Bonds * Jan 19 - Central Valley association spokesperson opposed to $50 million CVP bonds is actually a PG&E lobbyist * Jan 22 - Interior Sec. Ickes advises state to set up Public utility market for Shasta at half PG&E prices * Jan 24 - The Water Project Authority of California votes to delay Olson $50 million bond proposal until new study is done * Jan 27 - Governor Olson opens legislative session with request for CVP Power bonds * Jan 30 - Madera Irrigation District calls for vote about governor Olson's $50 million CVP bond proposal * Feb 14 - Governor Olson and CVP senate supporters fail to get $50 million funding out of committee * Feb 28 — State Water Project Authority creates four new jobs along with survey money from legislature allotment * Mar 12 - U.S. Senate approves $5 million for CVP * May 3 - Federal request for $191 million, including over $25 million to California for flood control following wet winter * July 8 - First concrete poured at Shasta Dam * Jul 22 - Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers diverted as work on CVP dams get underway * Aug 20 - CVP Contra Costa canal delivers first water to city of Pittsburg * Sep 25 - CVP will irrigate 3 million acres and allow for increased Central Valley population * Oct 5 - Madera Tribune posts photo of USBR's Friant Dam construction * Oct 19 - President Roosevelt signs rivers and harbors authorization bill (HR9972)with funds for CVP but includes limitation * Nov 27 - Governor Olson goes to Washington to propose federal takeover of CVP due to state funding opposition * Dec 6 - Another CVP dam proposed south of Shasta dam near Iron Mountain * Dec 19 - Governor Olson obtains support for his CVP plan after meeting with president Roosevelt * Dec 21 - State water commission requests a federal delay on PG&E's request for hyro work near Shasta dam * 1941 Jan 8 - state senate proposal to expand the size of the CVP project to include Sacramento Valley * Jan 20 - Congressional oversight of $446 million CVP project based on TVA model is ready * Feb 14 - CVP contracts have helped companies in 40 different U.S. states * Feb 21 - $50 million CVP federal funding in exchange for PG&E Feather River power * Mar 20 - The state water authority budgets $200,000 for CVP work, including cooperative federal projects * Apr 17 - Interior Secretary Ickes prepares legislation for federal oversight of the CVP * Apr 30 - Congress approves a $34.7 million budget for CVP * May 22 - State legislature agrees to include funding for CVP electricity * Jul 28 - The CVP project is made a national defense priority with sped up on Keswick Dam contracts to start in August * July 30
Central Valley Indian Lands Acquisition Act
promised to pay for all Wintu lands covered by Shasta dam * Jul 31 - FDR signs CVP legislation that takes tribal lands that will be submerged by Shasta and Friant dams * Aug 12 - First major contract for the $12.5 million Keswick dam awarded * Sep 17 - CVP statistical report says 1.7 million acre feet of water being diverted from Sacramento River * Oct 22 - $319,802 contract for 6 miles of Contra Costa Canal awarded * Dec 30 - Regional director of the USBR, Charles E. is Carey selected by Ickes to develop market search for CVP power customers * 1942 Jan 8 - CVP Shasta and Friant are the 2nd and 4th world's largest dams and rapidly being completed for the war * Feb 26 - CVP's chief engineer gives detailed status report on CVP to Madera citizens * Mar 20 - PG&E offers to buy all CVP power during House Appropriation Committee hearings * Mar 25 - House committee deletes $15 million for transmission lines and CVP steam plant * Mar 26 - Rep. Voorhis exposes prominent reason PG&E is behind blocking CVP power lines as Sacramento wants to break away from PG&E and buy power at a cheaper rate * Mar 26 - PG&E gets permission from Federal Power Commission to build steam plant to block USBR's Antioch facility * Aug 20 - The Madera Tribune congratulates Bertrand W. Gearhart on his role in promoting the CVP * Nov 13 - Shasta dam nearly ready - construction work photo * Nov 21 - Major segments of the CVP project halted by the

War Production Board The War Production Board (WPB) was an agency of the United States government that supervised war production during World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established it in January 1942, with Executive Order 9024. The WPB replaced the Su ...

including transmission lines and Friant Dam PG&E allowed to take over CVP power at Shasta * Nov 27 - state railroad commission sets price of PG&E electric property in Sacramento at $11.6 million * Dec 22 - Ag Association spokesperson threatens city over city's push to buy power from CVP * 1943 Jun 9 - $30.9 million funds sought for CVP as war power needs expanding * Jun 19 - War Powers Board okays CVP Friant-Kern Canal funding * Jul 20 - CVP Shasta to Oroville power line bids opened * Sep 2 - Interior Secretary Ickes' order to build CVP transmission line attacked by Rep. Carter who represents Tulare county but lives in Oakland * Sep 8 - San Francisco sends resolution to War Production Board calling for urgent completion of Friant-Kern Canal * Sep 24 - CVP coordinator announces operational schedules including Friant dam diversion to start in 1944 * Sept 28 - Ickes announces PG&E contract to buy all Shasta dam power agreed to * Dec 29 - War Production Board refuses to fund the CVP's Friant-Kern Canal * 1944 Jan 14 - 90 year dream - Shasta reservoir is filling up * Apr 7 - CVP coordinator will follow federal law and block big farms from obtaining CVP water * Apr 14 - Madera Tribune calls Interior Secretary Ickes "Little Harold" over CVP following federal water use rules * May 2 - Madera Tribune attacks " Oakies" and Interior Secretary "Little Harold" Ickes as a Czarist for retaining 160 acre water limit * May 12 - President Roosevelt supports 40 year old 160 acre federal rule that CVP water will only go to small farmers * Jun 8 - State Senate committee wants 160 acre limit lifted * June 26 - Shasta dam starts producing Power from two generators * Jul 20 - Quarter page PG&E Ad promotes its takeover of CVP power * Jul 24 - Hearings begin on the federal 160 acre water limit campaign by wealthy farmers * Jul 25 - PG&E starts taking Shasta dam power for resale * July 26 - Sacramento phase of hearings end. Federal laws will not be broken say federal authorities - for wealthy interests * Jul 30 - Week long CVP hearings in Bakersfield held by Senate subcommittee on irrigation - 160 acre water limit attacked * Oct 11 - War Production Board reverses itself and delays work on Friant-Kern Canal * Elliot Amendment to the Harbors and Rivers Act attempts to remove 160 acre water limit of the 1902 Reclamation Act fails * 1945 Jan 2 - USBR proposes spending $600 million for CVP * Mar 22 - Rural congressional representatives want more control over CVP but don't want to pay for the system * Apr 12 - USBR proposes spending $836 million on CVP * Jun 4 - The state Chamber of Commerce promotes the takeover of the Central valley project when completed * Jun 8 - Chairman of the Central Valley Project Congress advocates cheap power development for San Joaquin Vallery farmers * Jul 18 - state water authority funded to evaluate possibility of purchasing the $340 million CVProject * Sep 6 - New 300 page CVP report calls for dramatic $527 million increase to project for total of $735 million (map) * Sep 27 - The wartime ban on construction will end in October with $15 million available to start on Friant Dam * Oct 30 - Attack on federal limits to CVP water for farms less than 160 acres is actually 320 leaving out only giant operations * Nov 24 - USBR introduces CVP plan to Congress with 38 proposed dams * Nov 26 - CVP funding ends up in hostile subcommittee that cuts all transmission and power funding * Nov 27 - U.S. House appropriations committee cuts budge for transmission lines for CVP * Nov 28 - SF Chronicle fails to mention $5 million cut on transmission line budget, only mentions $780,000 left * Nov 29 - Chamber of Commerce hears claim that federal control over the CVP is totalitarian * Nov 30 - SF Chronicle promotes Mendota 42,000 acre family farmer's opinion that employs 400 regular and 1,000 Mexican migratory workers * Dec 7 - Two day statewide water conference begins with fighting over 160 acre ban * Dec 8 - The first statewide water conference in 18 years is moderated by Governor Warren - the war of big vs. small farmers * Dec 26 - Madera Tribune's attempt to be neutral about the 160 acre fight * 1946 Apr 5 - small town newspaper uses front group to call Dept. of Public Works communistic for funding CVP project * Apr 9 - 96,000 acre feet of Friant dam water released in March 1946 for irrigation of valley * May 3 - President Truman announces plan to expand scope of CVP * Jun 18 - CVP obtains $20 million funding for most of its projects * Jun 22 - Sacramento Municipal Utility District $10.5 million in bonds to purchase PG&E vote agreed to * Jun 26 - U.S. Senate funding for CVP reduced from $225 million to $12.5 million * Sep 24 - PG&E announces $160 million budget to expand power output * Nov 30 - Interior Sec. Krug says need for water and power from CVP being held up by "one or two large corporations" * 1947 Jan 6 - Republican control of state legislature results in funding for only a CVP study * Jan 6 - Democrats push investigation of monopolist takeover of CVP * Feb 14 - President Truman requests $30 million including $5 million for CVP transmission lines for the next fiscal year * Feb 19 - If the 160 acre law is banned 20 giant Central Valley companies will get water monopoly * Feb 20 - Small farmers and labor oppose repeal of CVP 160 acre water limit * Feb 27 - 61% of $384 million CVP costs will be paid by electric sales * Mar 17 - Senator introduces bill to exempt CVP from USBR's 160 acre ban * Jun 3 - Sixteen day 160 acre ban hearing by Senate ends, no action taken * Jul 28 - $29 million CVP budget split between

Army Corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gener ...

and U.S.B.R. with $1.5 million for transmission lines * Sep 18 - CVP project funding and speed to increased with hope to complete entire project by 1950 * Dec 3 - Governor Warren seeks emergency CVP funding * Dec 23 - $11.4 million emergency funds for CVP project granted as senator tries to get CVP head fired over 160 acre ban * 1948 Jan 12 - President Truman submits a $42 Million CVP budget for next year * Jan 15 - Proposal to expand CVP to

* Jan 22 - San Joaquin Valley farmers sign 19 contracts for 320,000 acre feet of water * Feb 25 - with another drought, the Stale Water Project authority requests $55.6 million for CVP * Mar 5 - USBR will seek Truman veto if California republican try to overthrow 160 acre ban * Mar 18 - two farm groups on opposite of the 160 acre debate * Jun 5 - Governor Warren supports CVP transmission system - see confusion headline * Jul 6 - CVP budget for 1948-49 year set at $68.5 million * Jul 19 - New CVP work to include expansion of Shasta dam power

and Santa Barbara projects * Aug 6 - $50 million fund sought to buy up large farms and resell them to small farmers * Oct 7 - Chamber of Commerce threatens legal fights over CVP's reclamation laws * Oct 13 - Interior Secretary Krug warns farmers that California electric companies are blocking CVP project * Nov 30 - State Water Project Authority urges 160 acre law removal * 1949 - Map of Central Valley Cotton producers * Mar 30 - Major Congressional victory as subcommittee okays transmission lines as part of CVP $53.5 million budget * Jul 2 - Cal. Assembly funds study to buy CVP * Jul 9 - 15,000 attend Governor Warren's release of Friant dam water into San Joaquin valley * Jul 11 - Media says 100 years in the making as 20,000 people attend opening of $58 million Friant-Kern Canal * Jul 13 - US Senate boosts CVP annual funding to $60.8 million * Jul 21 - Senator Downey (R-CA) demands investigation of USBR and it continued 160 acre ban * Aug 2 - Congress tentatively agrees to fund two more CVP canals for $20–40 million * Aug 25 - Madera Tribune writes highly manipulative article suggesting Public Power advocates had increased funding yet story details how Senator Knowland (R-Ca) amendment stripped transmission funding * Aug 30 - President Truman proposes $1 billion CVP expansion for 38 dams and 25 power facilities * Sep 27 - Friant dam is fourth largest dam in world - details of history and construction * Sep 27 - U.S. Senate okays CVP addition of $110 million for American River development * Nov 14 - USBR plans to begin moving water from Sacramento Valley into the San Joaquinn Valley in 1951 * Dec 2 - CVP deal contract with Madera Irrigation District almost settled * 1950 Feb 3 - Gov Warren supports $69 million CVP budget for 1951 * Mar 16 - California house members cut $4 million of power project out of CVP budget * Apr 14 - The Agricultural Council of California calls the USBR's public power operations socialist * May 8 - Warning that government should withdraw from CVP if 160 acre ban on water rights removed * Jun 17 - PG&E attacked by Governor Warren for blocking CVP projects during Shasta Dam dedication * Sep 19 - Detailed overview of how CVP works and impacts to Madera Irrigation District 1951 Jan 3 - CVP and state agree to keep grasslands flooded to protect migratory birds * Apr 20 - $18.3 of the $33.8 million CVP annual budget earmarked for Friant-Kern Canal * May 13 - Friant-Kern Canal completed * Jul 5 - The California legislature passes legislation to build the Oroville dam and power facilities as part of the CVP system * Aug 1 - Shasta Dam starts sending water into CVP canals * Aug 8 - Friant dam ceremony exposes new rift as state court orders excess water released as tactic to flood aquifer * Sep 13 - PG&E advertisement claim that 55% of all Central Valley water comes from aquifers by electric pumps * Sep 25 - Madera Tribune does extended coverage of CVP as major milestone in project is completed with historic map * Sep 25 - History of the Reclamation Act as part of Madera Tribune celebration issue * Sep 25 - Unnamed (big) farmers take Madera Irrigation District water contract with USBR to court * 1952 Feb 23 - USBR proposes CVP Power plan that would takeover local PG&E project and spark major growth in Fresno * Mar 1 - USBR reports 1951 income of $8 million from water sales for 1951 * Mar 21 - $34.9 million budget okayed by congress for construction activities * May 2 - Sixteen large farmers representing 14,000 acres agree to take CVP water and eventually abide by 160 acre rule * Dec 13 - SMUD makes contract to buy CVP power from USBR * California legislature appropriated $10 million for investigation into state purchase of CVP * 1953 Jan 9 - President Truman asks for $83 million for CVP construction * Jan 10 – 110 foot coffer dam at CVP's $58 million Folsom dam breached - no deaths from flooding * Jan 24 - Madera Tribune enraged that USBR signs a long term contract to sell 17% of CVP excess power to the Sacramento Municipal Utility District * Jan 28 - Lawsuit to stop all major water diversions a threat to the CVP * Apr 23 - House Committee headed by Ca. representatives cuts $7 million from $19 million CVP budget, all from power projects * May 20 - USBR request to senate that it reinstates $7 million pulled from CVP's power and transmission budget * May 28 - State legislature tries to block irrigation district contracts with USBR * Sep 26 - Full details of the size and cost of Friant dam - the 4th largest concrete dam in world * Dec 28 - Republicans, corporate farms and state Chamber of Commerce push for state to buy CVP from Interior Dept. * 1954 BR report: Four dams, five canals and other systems have been completed at a cost of $435.4 million * Jan 21 - President Eisenhower asks for $70.4 million CVP budget * May 4 PG&E offers to buy CVP power and facilities for $130 million cash * Aug 27 - Central Valley Project Act Reauthorization * Sep 10 - Proposal for $230 million San Luis segment of the CVP announced includes map * 1955 Feb 21 - PG&E makes proposal to buy CVP power from Trinity dam for $3.5 million a year * Apr 14 - US BR ignores PG&E's proposal to take over the electric system of the $219 million Trinity dam * Jul 14 - Urgent need for more water results in Trinity project moving ahead as San Luis project not ready * Jul 16 - CVP $15 million budget for 1956 will be to complete Folsom Dam and being work on Trinity Dam * 1956 May 21 - Congress appropriates $83 million for irrigation with $20 million going to Central Valley projects including a

dam * Jul 19 - US BR announces plans to construct the Glen Canyon Dam and $42 million for five CVP projects for 1957 * 1957 - Fear based 28 minute video pushing to expand state expansion of water project * Feb 20 - PG&E attacks republican senators opposition to PG&E's proposal for joint construction of Trinity Dam project * Jun 13 - $88 million for California was given but excluded all funding for transmission systems * Oct 14 - U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear the USBR's 160-acre ban on big water users * Oct 29 - 5 million acre feet a year being extracted from Central Valley's aquifer * Nov 1 - CVP's Feather River project considered world's largest engineering project * 1958 Jan 23 - PG&E agrees to renegotiate rates it charges for CVP power after report discloses company's rate manipulation * Feb 5 - Interior Secretary Fred A. Seaton recommends that PG&E be allowed to takeover Trinity Dam power * Mar 5 - CVP Plan to add 2 million acre feet of water in San Joaquin Valley endorsed * May 26 - Proposal for San Luis Canal project and 500,000 acres of land in western Merced, Fresno and Kings counties * Jun 9 - Congress okays $42 million budget for coming CVP's next fiscal year * Jun 23 - U.S. Supreme Court reverses state supreme court in upholding the 160-acre ban on USBR water to large users * Oct 15 - Total of 444,000 Kilowatts of CVP power being transfer to PG&E * 1959 Feb 13 - PG&E plan to build "cream skimmer" transmission lines between Bonneville and CVP attacked * Mar 18 - representative James B. Utt introduces legislation to turn all Trinity Dam power over to PG&E * Apr 27 - Two more dams proposed for CVP project * May 12 - Governor Brown releases breakdown on where $1.75 billion funding for State Water Project will go to * Jun 3 - Congress okays $103 Million with $43 to USBR and $59.8 to Corps of Engineers for state irrigation and flooding * Oct 21 - California Grange opposed to state takeover of

Oroville Dam Oroville Dam is an earthfill embankment dam on the Feather River east of the city of Oroville, California, in the Sierra Nevada foothills east of the Sacramento Valley. At 770 feet (235 m) high, it is the tallest dam in the U.S. and serv ...

and giving PG&E control of Trinity Dam electricity * Jul 9 - Governor Brown signs $1.75 billion state water bond law that includes 735 foot high

* Sep 30 - Interior Department signs two new contracts with PG&E for 629,000 Kilowatts of CVP electricity from four dams * Sep 30 - Madera Irrigation District opposed Fresno plan to take San Joqauin River surplus water * Sep 30 - Interior Department extends PG&E contracts for CVP Power up to April 1971 * 1960 State and USBR cooperation Agreement * Jul 1 - Congress okays $61 million CVP budget * 1961 Feb 2 - State takes first step in $400 State Water Project * Aug 10 - History of EBMUD and the November 1959 $1.7 billion state water project vote * 1962 - May 17 - $27 million joint CVP funding project proposed * 1963 - Corps of Engineers dredges the Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel to the port of Sacramento. * Jan 18 - Congress to propose $106 million annual CVP Budget * Mar 2 - Governor Brown Announced $325 Million plan to fund state water project * May 24 - State Senate votes against Governor Brown's proposal to fund state plan with bonds * June 11 - Attempts by Republicans to kill the sale of $325 million in bonds for state water project fails * Dec 15 - Extended summary of all the state's new water plans laid out in series of articles by agency * 1964 Jan 13 - SMUD, EBMud and growing construction of dams background story on state water expansion * Jan 21 - Utility Districts across the state will benefit from expansion of the state water project (map of state plan) * Jan 22 - $112 million annual CVP budget proposed to congress with state to include $42 million for San Luis * 1965 - Inter-agency Delta Committee recommendation for Peripheral Canal and Delta facilities * Jan 14 - City of Santa Clara asked LBJ for direct access to CVP vs. PG&E power * July 23 - $5 billion San Luis Reservoir segment of the CVP begins construction * Aug 4 - PG&E Hydro-electric project connects 3 rivers near Shasta * Aug 6 - Auburn-Folsom Project goes before congress for funding * Sept 16 - Governor Brown request $188 million for CVP funding * 1966 Jan 25 - President Johnson asks Congress for $100 million CVP annual budget * Mar 11 - 21st Century water shortage predicted if system not expanded * Apr 3 - State water project good until 1990 but won't handle predicted 54 million population expected by 2020 * Apr 26 - State seeks $164 million from feds for CVP's 1967 fiscal year * 1967 Jan 13 - CVP produces record 5.3 billion kilowatts hours of electricity in 1966 * Jan 25 - President Johnson withholds $34 million for CVP's San Luis project * Oct 6 - State Water Project's Oroville Dam and Reservoir are completed * Oct 18 - State Assemblyman seeks $600 million in Bonds for the state's water project * 1968 Feb 8 - State budgets $425 million for state's water project * Apr 19 - CVP's San Luis Reservoir dedicated * May 16 - $468 million cut to proposed on CVP's Auburn Dam project * Dec 28 - Interior Dept. okays new CVP plan along east side of valley * 1969 - State Water Project obtains emergency loan from state treasury as inflation rates have dried up funding from bond sales * 1969 - The Harvey O. Banks Delta Pumping Plant and John E. Skinner Fish Facility are completed by DWR * 1970 Mar 15 - Army Corps of Engineers announces construction of 625 foot high New Melones Dam * Apr 30 - Governor Reagan promotes $209 million 43 mile long, 400 foot wide Peripheral Canal plan * 1971 Jan 29 - Nixon administration proposes $150 million for state water projects * Feb 15 - NCPA files

Writ In common law, a writ is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction; in modern usage, this body is generally a court. Warrant (legal), Warrants, prerogative writs, subpoenas, and ''certiorari'' are commo ...

with CPUC to stop PG&E power contract with SMUD for

Rancho Seco The Rancho Seco Nuclear Generating Station is a decommissioned nuclear power plant built by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) in Herald, California. History In 1966, SMUD purchased in southeast Sacramento County for a nuclear ...

surplus power * Mar 18 -

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 1892, in San Francisco, by preservationist John Muir. A product of the Pro ...

files lawsuit to shut down the CVP * Jul 23 -

California State Water Resources Control Board The California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) is one of six branches of the California Environmental Protection Agency. History This regulatory program has had the status of an official government department since the 1950s. The ...

sets CVP water quality standards. * Jul 30 - California Water Resources Association attacks passage of Wild and Scenic Rivers legislation * Oct 8 - New association of state agencies formed to promote water projects * 1972 Jan 20 - Labor Leader says 45 corporations with 3.7 million acres gets illegal USBR water subsidies * May 25 - Proposition 9 ban on nuclear development will endanger CVP says California Water Resources Association * Aug 10 - $4.9 million CVP contract for 25 of 188 mile long San Luis drain awarded * Dec 7 -

GAO Gao (or Gawgaw/Kawkaw) is a city in Mali and the capital of the Gao Region. The city is located on the River Niger, east-southeast of Timbuktu on the left bank at the junction with the Tilemsi valley. For much of its history Gao was an imp ...

study says big landowners received $1.5 billion CVP water subsidy * 1973 - legislation funds new Delta levees * Feb 9 - Nixon administration blocks $2 million in CVP funds okayed by Congress * 1974 Feb 14 - History of Peripheral canal plan dates to 1964 * Jul 11 - 29,000-acre Giffen Inc. broken up and sold to comply with 160-acre USBR rules * Sept 25 - Environmental review for 43 mile long Peripheral canal released * 1975 Sept 4 - Healdsburg joins 10 NCPA other cities to obtain its own electricity * 1976 Jan 28 - USBR says there will be enough water for the year as drought continues * Mar 24 - 59 farmers file $33 million lawsuit against CVP and SWP for 1974 flood damages * Apr 22 - Eight mile Pacheco tunnel from San Luis reservoir to Santa Clara started * 1977 - Department of Water Resources supports Peripheral Canal as best way move water to the Delta * Feb 8 - USBR announces plan to cut CVP water by up to 75% due to drought * Feb 25 - Westland's Land Dynamics Inc. pleads guilty and fined $10,000 for conspiracy to violate land sale rules * Apr 17 - President Carter stops 15 water projects including review of CVP * Apr 21 - Salyer Land and J.G. Boswell Cos. (cotton growers) propose buying $45 million Pine Flat Dam to bypass 160-acre rule * Sept 15 - Assembly votes 56-22 in favor of SB 346 Peripheral Canal legislation * Sept 16 - Senate votes down Governor Brown's $4.2 billion Peripheral Canal proposal * Oct 6 - USBR lost $74 million between 1971 and April 1976 for underpricing electricity sold to PG&E * Nov 5 - 529 page federal report says USBR has failed to breakup corporate ownership in Westlands over 160 acre limit on water subsidies * Nov 5 - Government task force report documents $2.7 billion water subsidy to CVP farmers at taxpayers expense * Nov 5 - Report documents how the USBR's 197 mile long San Luis drain (Kesterson) in the Westlands went from $7 million to $542 million * Nov 30 - Roberts Farm Inc's 8,100 acre operations in Kern county goes bankrupt and sold for $21.5 million * Dec 11 - The Chandler family's L.A. Times caught in conflict of Interest over newspaper's attack on 160-acre limit as family owns major investments in

Tejon Ranch Tejon Ranch Company (), based in Lebec, California, is one of the largest private landowners in California. The company was incorporated in 1936 to organize the ownership of a large tract of land that was consolidated from four Mexican land gr ...

and J.G. Boswell Company * Dec 19 - California v. U.S. Supreme Court case over control of discharge rights * 1978 -

releases Water Rights Decision 1485 (D-1485) requiring Delta water quality * Jan 6 - Call for one year moratorium over 160-acre ban ruling and Interior Dept decision * Jan 26 - CVP water rates too cheap as study shows project will be $8.8 billion in debt by 2037 * Feb 8 - PG&E making 800% profit on CVP power it buys * Feb 20 - Federal Land Bank of Sacramento ignores 160-acre CVP rlimit rule when issuing loans to large farmers * Mar 18 - Sec. of Interior urges cooperative operations - state charges $22 vs. CVP charging $3.50 per acre foot of water * July 4 - US Supreme Court rules in favor of state over right to enforce environmental regulations * Sep 20 - Lobbyists for Salyer Land and J.G. Boswell Cos. who own 150,000-acres of cotton lands paid $165,000 to fight 160-acre limit * Nov 8 - Fish and Wildlife Improvement Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 742l; 92 Stat. 3110) -- Public Law 95-616 updates CVP Act * Nov 21 - Westlands Irrigation District legal Budget for 1979 set at $549,000 to fight the federal government * 1979 Jan 3 - Dept. of Interior agrees to abide by state's environmental quality rules * Jan 16 - Bill to allocate $50 Million for state water project including money for Peripheral canal introduced * Feb 25 - J.G. Boswell investigated for secret contract by Grand Jury with Cotton Inc. (lobby firm) $113 million 10 year budget * Mar 8 - US Dept. of Agriculture expands probe of Boswell-Cotton Inc. $60,000 annual contract for Cotton Board research and promotion * Mar 11 - Westlands Irrigation District hires Washington lawfirm of Williams & Connolly to represent their 160-acre legal fight * Mar 22 - Senate hearings open on the Reclamation Reform Act of 1979 - to replace the 160-acre limit for USBR water * Mar 23 - Western water war erupts over hundreds of millions of acres of subsidized lands with call to change 160-acre limitation * Apr 13 - Support for study calling for 200 foot increase of Shasta Dam * Oct 11 - Regional battle between farmers and environmentalists hold up dams and Peripheral Canal plans * 1980 Mar 13 - State legislature passes SB200 Peripheral Canal act opposed by ecologists * Oct 18 - Santa Clara power users sue agency for $18 million over rates * 1981 Oct 21 - CVP proposal to sell power to city of Healdsburg announced * 1982 - Voters defeat the Peripheral Canal initiative - Proposition 9 * Apr 29 - Santa Cruz to do study on takeover of PG&E power grid * Apr 30 - Healdsburg to start buying CVP power from Westeran Area Power Administration * May 4 - Healdsburg breaks from PG&E power * August 4 - PG&E claims Healdsburg owes them $62,000 as city goes for public power * 1983 Oct 2 - Republicans moves away from conservation on Central Valley water * 1984 May 5 - National Wildlife Federation says USBR under collected water fees by $10 billion * Nov 16 - Federal plan to dump Central Valley waste water into Pacific attacked * 1985 Mar 30 - Interior Dept plan to stop dumping Central Valley toxics into Kesterson * Aug 21 - CVP has made $1.5 billion in illegal subsidies to giant ag farms * Sep 10 - House passes on cooperative agreement between CVP and SWP * 1986 - DWR- USBR Coordinated Operation Agreement, agreed to by Congress. * Nov 27 - Ceremony held in Sacramento on agreement between CVP and SWP * 1987 - State Water Board starts revision of D-1485 after U.S. EPA calls plan inadequate. * 1988 -

Suisun Marsh Located in northern California, the Suisun Marsh ( ) has been referred to as the largest brackish water marsh on west coast of the United States of America. The marsh land is part of a tidal estuary, and subject to tidal ebb and flood. The marsh ...

salinity control gates start up. * May 28 - 2nd Dry year starting to impact CVP water supply * 1989 - EPA lists Sacramento River Chinook salmon as threatened * Feb 16 - USBR announces 25-50% reduction in water availability due to 3 year drought * May 3 - USBR investigation of expanding Tehama-Colusa Canal * June 23 - PG&E loses court case over its refusal to transmit power to public agencies * 1990 Feb 16 - 4th year of drought expected to cause cutbacks in water to users * Jul 15 - $150 million environmental CVP legislation angers farmers and PG&E * 1991 - State Water Board produces Bay-Delta salinity control plan but partiall
rejected by the EPA
* Construction completed on four south Delta pumping facilities * Jan 30 - 800 attend statewide meeting on water crisis solutions * Feb 13 - Water Rights issue grow as 5th year of drought calls for 50% farm water cutbacks * Feb 15 - Water crisis worst since 1945, CVP to drain all reservoirs with up 75% restrictions in use * Mar 16 - Recent storms reduce water crisis but orders for reduced use to hold * 1992 - The Central Valley Project Improvement Act mandated the balancing of water, pricing and distribution policies * Jan 1 - U.S. Corps of Engineers releases environmental plan for 3,400 acre Yolo Country wildlife refuge * Feb 13 - Bush administration submits $906 million USBR budget for 1993 including CVP * Oct 30 - Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 199—Public Law 102-575 * Nov 18 - New federal legislation will give Yolo and Solano County CVP water * 1993 - A documented

indicator species A bioindicator is any species (an indicator species) or group of species whose function, population, or status can reveal the qualitative status of the environment. The most common indicator species are animals. For example, copepods and other sma ...

, the

Delta smelt The delta smelt (''Hypomesus transpacificus'') is an endangered slender-bodied smelt, about long, in the family Osmeridae. Endemic to the upper Sacramento-San Joaquin Estuary of California, it mainly inhabits the freshwater-saltwater mixing z ...

is listed as threatened (goes to endangered in 2009) * 1993 - Save San Francisco Bay Association's Barry Nelson calls the CVP "the biggest single environmental disaster ever to strike California." * Feb 18 - USBR open new office to oversee 1992 CVP Improvement Act * Dec 17 - Governor Wilson attacks federal plans to withhold water for environment * 1994 Feb 16 - Drought response results in 2/3rd cut in farm waters * Apr 10 - Judge blocks attempt to sell CVP water to mining company * Sep 19 - Pajaro Valley loses 19,000 acre feet of CVP water due to legal technicality * 1995 Jul 18 - Folsom Dam gate breaks releasing half million acre feet of water * 1996 Oct 12 - Pajaro Valley water agency decides to buy $5.6 million in CVP water rights * Dec 21 - Kern County plan to sell 22 billion gallons of water to L.A. starts water war * 1997 - $80 million temperature controlled fish protection support added to Shasta dam * Sept 13 - Cadillac Desert author supports more subsidies to farmers * Dec 14 - Proposal to sell Friant dam water to L.A. reduced to just excess flow years * 1998 May 29 - Measure D in Pajaro Valley alternative to CVP plan attacked for conservation and small dams * Jun 3 - Measure D passes, effectively ending plan to import CVP water into Pajaro Valley * 2000 - Westlands Water District sues the USBR over drainage promises and wins $2.6 billion agreement * Jun 9 - $450 million water plan proposed by Governor Davis includes raising Shasta dam height * 2002 Feb 13 - Appeal of court ruling taking CVP water from fish and environment * Jul 17 - Westlands wants feds to buy contaminated land for $500 million * 2004 - CalFed budget zeroed out for fifth year in a row as attempts to find common ground fail * Apr 22 - Editorial: death of 34,000 fish on Klamath impacts Hupa tribe * Jul 14 - Court order allows for protection of fish in Trinity River * 2005 Mar 16 - CVP water resold by users as 200,000 acres in Westland's too toxic for growing * 2006 - San Joaquin water flows restored to protect fish * 2007 May 25 - Federal court overturns U.S. Fish and Wildlife's 2005 opinion that increased CVP water take would not endanger Smelt * Oct 25 - "Racanelli Decision" - Judge decides in favor of Aug. 1978 decision (1485) compelling USBR and DWR adhere to the State Water Resources Control Board's water quality standards * 2008 - Central Valley Project Improvement Act's fisheries program conduct
"Listen to the River"
independent peer review * Apr 9 - CVP's Lewiston dam predicted to have a normal reservoir levels for year * Aug 9 - Th
Kern County Water Agency
buys state water for as cheap as $28 and sells it for up to $200 and acre * 2009 - A documented

, the

is listed under the ESA as endangered (listed as threatened in 1993) * Mar 11 - Drought fears recede after recent rain bring CVP's Lewiston dam up to 59% of normal * May 24 - How the Ca. Dept. of Water Resources lost control of the Kern Country Water Bank * Jun 5 -

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) is an American scientific and regulatory agency charged with Weather forecasting, forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, Hydrography, charting the seas, ...

releases 4 year study on fish impacts * Oct 7 - Trinity County protests USBR's petition to extend state water rights to 2030 * 2010 Jun 3 - Environmental groups file a lawsuit seeking to block a secret backroom deal – known as the "Monterey Amendments" * Dec 15 - The release of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, or the reincarnation of peripheral canal is immediately opposed by environmental groups * 2012 Mar 2 - Court of Appeals ends thirteen year legal battle between Westlands and Interior Dept in government's favor * 2014 May 14 - 10% of all California goes to Almond production * Nov 4 - After 5 years of reworking, the public okays $510 million in state water funding * 2015 Jan 27 - Harvard University has bought 10,000 acres California land for Wine production and water speculation * Apr 21 - California Almond production is using over 1 trillion gallons of agricultural water * Sep 11 - USBR announces agreement with Westlands water contract and drainage controversy * 2017 Jan 3 - HR 23 Central Valley Project Water Reliability introduced and passed by house fails in senate would have stripped all CVP environmental protections * Feb 17 - CVP's Oroville Dam spillway water levels result in 180,000 people forced to evacuate * Mar 17 - House republicans invoke the "God Squad" option of the Endangered Species Act Amendments of 1978 to overturn water limits caused by the endangered Smelt * Jun 10 - Trump admin proposes selling off all grid assets of the Power Marketing Administration * 2018 - Congress set aside $20 million to raise Shasta dam by 18.5' or an additional 636,000 acre feet of water a year * 2019 Aug 1 - Meeting to start new Delta Tunnel by state agencies held * Sep 8 - Westlands Irrigation District appeals court decision to block raising height of CVP's Shasta dam * Aug 21 - Trump admin suppresses report on dangers to Steelhead Salmon * Oct 23 - Dept. of Interior changes water rules in favor of farmers * 2020 - Jan 1 - No Smelt

found in the Sacramento Delta for last 2 years * Feb 20 - President Trump signs Record of Decision on federal biological opinions * Feb 29 - Seventy five project customers, including the large Westlands Water District, received permanent federal water contracts

Facilities in the Sacramento Valley

Sacramento River

Shasta Division consists of a pair of large dams on the

north of the city of Redding. The Shasta Dam is the primary water storage and power generating facility of the CVP. It impounds the Sacramento River to form Shasta Lake, which can store over of water, and can generate 680 MW of power. Shasta Dam functions to regulate the flow of the Sacramento River so that downstream diversion dams and canals can capture the flow of the river more efficiently, and to prevent flooding in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta where many water pump facilities for San Joaquin Valley aqueducts are located. The Keswick Dam functions as an afterbay (regulating reservoir) for the Shasta Dam, also generating power. The Sacramento Canals Division of the CVP takes water from the Sacramento River much farther downstream of the Shasta and Keswick Dams.

Diversion dam A diversion dam is a dam that diverts all or a portion of the flow of a river from its natural course. Diversion dams do not generally impound water in a reservoir; instead, the water is diverted into an artificial water course or canal, which ...

s, pumping plants, and aqueducts provide municipal water supply as well as irrigation of about . The Red Bluff Diversion Dam diverts part of the Sacramento River into the Tehama-Colusa Canal, the Corning Canal and a small reservoir formed by Funks Dam. Six pump plants take water from the canal and feed it to the Colusa County water distribution grid.

Trinity River

Water diversions from northern rivers in the state remain controversial due to environmental damage. Trinity River Division is the second largest CVP department for the northern Sacramento Valley. The primary purpose of the division is to divert water from the Trinity River into the Sacramento River drainage downstream of Shasta Dam in order to provide more flow in the Sacramento River and generating peaking power in the process. Trinity Dam forms Trinity Lake, the second largest CVP water-storage reservoir, with just over half the capacity of Shasta and a generating capacity of 140 MW. Lewiston Dam, downstream of Trinity Dam, diverts water into the Clear Creek Tunnel, which travels to empty into a third reservoir, Whiskeytown Lake on Clear Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento River, generating 154 MW of power in the process. Whiskeytown Lake (formed by Clair. A Hill Whiskeytown Dam) in turn provides water to the Spring Creek Tunnel, which travels into the lowermost extreme of Spring Creek, a stream that flows into Keswick Reservoir, generating another 180 MW of electricity. From there the water from the Trinity River empties into Keswick Reservoir and the Sacramento River. In 1963, the

Spring Creek Debris Dam Spring Creek Debris Dam is an earthfill dam on Spring Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento River, in Shasta County in the U.S. state of California. Completed in 1963, the dam, maintained by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, serves primarily to colle ...

was constructed just upstream of the outlet of the Spring Creek Tunnel, to prevent

acid mine drainage Acid mine drainage, acid and metalliferous drainage (AMD), or acid rock drainage (ARD) is the outflow of acidic water from metal mines and coal mines. Acid rock drainage occurs naturally within some environments as part of the rock weatherin ...

from the Iron Mountain Mine from continuing downstream and contaminating the river.

American River

The American River Division is located in north-central California, on the east side of the Great Central Valley. Its structures use the water of the

, which drains off the

and flows into the

. The division is further divided into three units: the Folsom, Sly Park and Auburn-Folsom South. The American River Division stores water in the American River watershed, to both provide water supply for local settlements, and supply it to the rest of the system. The dams also are an important flood control measure.

Hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

is generated at Folsom and Nimbus dams, and marketed to the Western Area Power Administration. The Folsom Unit consists of Folsom Dam, its primary water storage component, and Nimbus Dam, which serves as its downstream forebay. The Folsom Dam is located on the American River, and stores of water in its reservoir, Folsom Lake. Folsom Lake covers and is located inside the Folsom Lake State Recreational Area. Eight additional earth fill saddle dams are required to keep the reservoir from overflowing. The dam also generates 200 MW from three generators. About downstream of Folsom Dam is the Nimbus Dam, forming Lake Natoma. The dam generates 7.7 MW from two Kaplan turbines on the north side of the river. The '' Nimbus Fish Hatchery'' is located downstream of Nimbus Dam, to compensate for the two dams' destruction of American River spawning grounds. Slyparkdam

The Sly Park Unit includes Sly Park Dam, Jenkinson Lake, the Camp Creek Diversion Dam, and two diversion tunnels. The Sly Park Dam and its similarly-sized auxiliary dam form Jenkinson Lake, which covers . Jenkinson Lake feeds the Camino Conduit, a aqueduct. The Camp Creek Diversion Dam diverts some water from Camp Creek into Jenkinson Lake. The third unit is the Auburn-Folsom South Unit, consisting of several dams on American River tributaries. These include Sugar Pine Dam and Pipeline (supplying water to Foresthill), and the uncompleted Folsom South Canal. The primary component of the unit, concrete thin-arch Auburn Dam, was to be located on the North Fork of the American, but was never built because of the significant risk of earthquakes in the area, and general public opposition to the project. However, the high

Foresthill Bridge The Foresthill Bridge, also called the Auburn-Foresthill Bridge or the Auburn Bridge, is a road bridge crossing over the North Fork American River in Placer County, California, Placer County and the Sierra Nevada foothills, in eastern California. ...

, built as part of the preliminary work for Auburn Dam, still stands. County Line Dam, about south of Folsom Dam, was also never built.

Facilities in the San Joaquin Valley

Delta and canal system

One of the most important parts of the CVP's San Joaquin Valley water system is the series of aqueducts and pumping plants that take water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and send it southwards to supply farms and cities. The Delta Cross Channel intercepts Sacramento River water as it travels westwards towards

Suisun Bay Suisun Bay ( ; Wintun for "where the west wind blows") is a shallow tidal estuary (a northeastern extension of the San Francisco Bay) in Northern California. It lies at the confluence of the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River, forming the e ...

and diverts it south through a series of man-made channels, the

Mokelumne River The Mokelumne River ( or ; ''Mokelumne'', Miwok for "People of the Fish Net") is a -long river in northern California in the United States. The river flows west from a rugged portion of the central Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada into the C ...

, and other natural sloughs, marshes and distributaries. From there, the water travels to the C.W. Bill Jones Pumping Plant, which raises water into the Delta-Mendota Canal, which in turn travels southwards to Mendota Pool on the San Joaquin River, supplying water to other CVP reservoirs about midway. A facility exists at the entrance of the pump plant in order to catch fish that would otherwise end up in the Delta-Mendota Canal. A second canal, the Contra Costa Canal, captures freshwater near the central part of the delta, taking it southwards, distributing water to the Clayton and Ygnacio Canals in the process, and supplying water to Contra Loma Dam, eventually terminating at Martinez Reservoir.

San Joaquin River

The CVP also has several dams on the

—which has far less average flow than the Sacramento—in order to divert its water to southern Central Valley aqueducts. The Friant Dam, completed in 1942, is the largest component of the Friant Division of the CVP. The dam crosses the San Joaquin River where it spills out of the Sierra Nevada, forming Millerton Lake, which provides water storage for San Joaquin Valley irrigators as well as providing a diversion point for a pair of canals, the Friant-Kern Canal and the Madera Canal. The Friant-Kern Canal sends water southwards through the

area to its terminus at

Bakersfield Bakersfield is a city in and the county seat of Kern County, California, United States. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, which is located in the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's population as of the ...

on the

, supplying irrigation water to Tulare,

Fresno Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

, and Kern counties. The Madera Canal takes water northwards to Madera County, emptying into the Chowchilla River. The Central Valley also consisted of 500 miles of canals, providing the city dwellers and power sales from the generation of electricity pay of the project costs.

Stanislaus River

On the

Stanislaus River The Stanislaus River is a tributary of the San Joaquin River in north-central California in the United States. The main stem of the river is long, and measured to its furthest headwaters it is about long. Originating as three forks in the h ...

, a major tributary of the San Joaquin, lies the relatively independent East Side Division and New Melones Unit of the CVP. The sole component of the division/unit is New Melones Dam, forming New Melones Lake, which, when filled to capacity, holds nearly of water, about equal to the storage capacity of Trinity Lake. The dam functions to store water during dry periods and release it downstream into the northern San Joaquin Valley according to water demand. The dam generates 279 MW of power with a peaking capacity of 300 MW.

Offstream storage and aqueducts

The CVP has a significant amount of facilities for storing and transporting water on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, in the foothills of the

. The West San Joaquin Division and San Luis Unit consist of several major facilities that are shared with the federal

(SWP). San Luis Dam (or B.F. Sisk Dam) is the largest storage facility, holding of water. Although called an offstream storage reservoir by USBR, the reservoir floods part of the San Luis Creek valley. San Luis Creek, however, is not the primary water source for the reservoir. Downstream of San Luis Reservoir is

O'Neill Forebay O'Neill Forebay is a Forebay (reservoir), forebay to the San Luis Reservoir created by the construction of O'Neill Dam across San Luis Creek (California), San Luis Creek approximately west of Los Banos, California, United States, on the eastern s ...

, which is intersected by the Delta-Mendota Canal, a separate CVP facility. Water is pumped from the canal into the Forebay and uphill into San Luis Reservoir, which functions as an additional water source during dry periods. Water released from San Luis and O'Neill reservoirs feeds into the San Luis Canal, the federally built section of the

California Aqueduct The Governor Edmund G. Brown California Aqueduct is a system of canals, tunnels, and pipelines that conveys water collected from the Sierra Nevada and valleys of Northern and Central California to Southern California. Named after California Gov ...

, which carries both CVP and SWP water. The San Luis Canal terminates at Kettleman City, where it connects with the state-built section of the California Aqueduct. With a capacity of , it is one of the largest irrigation canals in the United States. The Coalinga Canal (operated for USBR by the Westlands Water District) branches off the San Luis Canal towards the Coalinga area. A pair of separate dams, Los Baños Detention Dam and Little Panoche Detention Dam, provide flood control in the Los Baños area. The San Luis Drain was a separate project by USBR in an attempt to keep contaminated irrigation drainage water out of the San Joaquin River, emptying into Kesterson Reservoir where the water would evaporate or seep into the ground. Because of environmental concerns, the system was never completed. The CVP also operates a San Felipe Division to supply water to of land in the

Santa Clara Valley The Santa Clara Valley (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Valle de Santa Clara'') is a geologic trough in Northern California that extends south–southeast from San Francisco to Hollister, California, Hollister. The longitudinal valley is bordered ...

west of the Coast Ranges. San Justo Dam stores water diverted from San Luis Reservoir through the Pacheco Tunnel and Hollister Conduit, which travel through the

Diablo Range The Diablo Range is a mountain range in the California Coast Ranges subdivision of the Pacific Coast Ranges in northern California, United States. It stretches from the eastern San Francisco Bay Area at its northern end to the Salinas Valley a ...

. A separate canal, the Santa Clara Tunnel and Conduit, carries water to the Santa Clara Valley.

Environmental impacts

Once, profuse runs of anadromous fish—

steelhead Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the Fish migration#Classification, anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or Columbia River redband trout (''O. m. gairdneri'', also called redband steelhead). Steelhead are native to cold-wa ...

, and others—migrated up the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers to spawn in great numbers. The construction of CVP dams on the two rivers and many of their major tributaries—namely Friant Dam and Shasta Dam—mostly ended the once-bountiful Central Valley salmon run. From north to south, the Sacramento upriver of Shasta Dam, the American upriver of Folsom Dam, the Stanislaus upriver of New Melones Dam, and the San Joaquin upriver of Mendota—have become inaccessible to migrating salmon. In three of these cases, it is because the dams are too high and their reservoirs too large for fish to bypass via fish ladders. The San Joaquin River, however, had a different fate. Almost of the river is dry because of diversions from Friant Dam and Millerton Lake. Even downstream of Mendota, where the Delta-Mendota Canal gives the river a new surge of water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, irrigation runoff water, contaminated with

pesticide Pesticides are substances that are used to control pests. They include herbicides, insecticides, nematicides, fungicides, and many others (see table). The most common of these are herbicides, which account for approximately 50% of all p ...

s and

fertilizer A fertilizer or fertiliser is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from liming materials or other non-nutrient soil amendments. Man ...

, has caused the river to become heavily polluted. To make matters worse, efforts by the

California Department of Fish and Game The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), formerly known as the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), is an American state agency under the California Natural Resources Agency. The Department of Fish and Wildlife manages ...

to route the San Joaquin salmon run into the

Merced River The Merced River (), in the central part of the U.S. state of California, is a -long tributary of the San Joaquin River flowing from the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada into the San Joaquin Valley. It is most well known for its swift and st ...

in the 1950s failed, because the salmon did not recognize the Merced as their "home stream". Not only on the San Joaquin River have CVP facilities wreaked environmental havoc. On the Sacramento River, Red Bluff Diversion Dam in Tehama County, while not as large or as impacting as Friant Dam, was once a barrier to the migration of anadromous fish. The original fish passage facilities of the dam continually experienced problems from the beginning of operation in 1966, and introduced species that prey on young smolt often gather at the base of the dam, which reduced the population of outmigrating juvenile salmon into the Pacific. The Red Bluff Diversion Dam has since been replaced with a fish screen and pumping plant, thus allowing unimpaired passage through Red Bluff. Further upstream, Keswick and Shasta Dams form total barriers to fish migration. Even out of the Central Valley watershed, the CVP's diversion of water from the Trinity River from Lewiston Dam into Whiskeytown Lake has significantly hurt the

tributary's salmon run. Over three-quarters of the river's flow is diverted through the Clear Creek Tunnel and away from the Trinity River, causing the river below the dam to become warm, silty, shallow and slow-flowing, attributes that hurt young salmon. Furthermore, the Trinity Dam forms a blockade that prevents salmon from reaching about of upriver spawning grounds. In the early years of the 21st century, the Bureau of Reclamation finally began to steadily increase the water flow downstream from Lewiston Dam. While providing less water for the CVP altogether, the new flow regime allows operations to meet the line drawn by Reclamation itself in 1952 stating that at least 48% of the river's natural flow must be left untouched in order for Trinity River salmon to survive. The lack of flow in the Trinity up to then was also a violation of the authorization that Congress made over the operation of the dam. The "...legislation required that enough be left in the Trinity for in-basin needs, including preservation of the salmon fishery." In the early years of the 21st century, the Bureau of Reclamation studied the feasibility of raising Shasta Dam. One of the proposed heights was greater than its current size, thus increasing the storage capacity of Shasta Lake by . The agency also proposed a smaller raise of that would add . Previously, a raise of the dam, increasing storage to , was considered, but deemed uneconomical. When Shasta Dam was first built, it was actually planned to be two hundred feet higher than it is now, but Reclamation stopped construction at its present height because of a shortage of materials and workers during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The raising of the dam would further regulate and store more Sacramento River water for dry periods, thus benefiting the entire operations of the CVP, and also generating additional power. However, the proposed height increase was fought over for many reasons. Raising the dam would cost several hundred million dollars and raise the price of irrigation water from Shasta Lake. It would drown most of the remaining land belonging to the Winnemem Wintu tribe—90 percent of whose land already lies beneath the surface of the lake—and flood several miles of the McCloud River, protected under

National Wild and Scenic River The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was created by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-542), enacted by the U.S. Congress to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free-f ...

status. Buildings, bridges, roads and other structures would have to be relocated. The added capacity of the reservoir would change flow fluctuations in the lower Sacramento River, and native fish populations, especially salmon, would suffer with the subsequent changes to the ecology of the river. Newmelonesdam1b

New Melones Dam has come under even greater controversy than Shasta Dam, mainly because of the project's conflicts with federal and state limits and its impact on the watershed of the

. The original Melones Dam, submerged underneath New Melones Lake (hence the name ''New Melones Dam'') is the source of one of these problems. The disused Melones Dam blocks cold water at the bottom of the lake from reaching the river, especially in dry years when the surface of the lake is closer to the crest of the old dam. This results in the river below the dam attaining a much higher temperature than usual, hurting native fish and wildlife. To solve this problem, Reclamation shuts off operations of the dam's hydroelectric power plant when water levels are drastically low, but this results in power shortages. Originally, after the dam was constructed, the State of California put filling the reservoir on hold because of enormous public opposition to what was being inundated: the

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

canyon behind the dam, the deepest of its kind in the United States, contained hundreds of archaeological and historic sites and one of California's best and most popular

whitewater rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

runs. Thus the reservoir extended only to Parrot's Ferry Bridge, below its maximum upriver limit, until the

El Niño EL, El or el may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * El, a character from the manga series ''Shugo Chara!'' by Peach-Pit * Eleven (''Stranger Things'') (El), a fictional character in the TV series ''Stranger Things'' * El, fami ...

event of 1982–1983, which filled it to capacity within weeks and even forced Reclamation to open the emergency spillways, prompting the state and federal governments to repeal the limits they had imposed on the reservoir. Furthermore, the project allows a far smaller sustainable water yield than originally expected, and Reclamation calls the dam "a case study of all that can go wrong with a project". In response to these environmental problems, Congress passed in 1992 the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA), Title 34 of Public Law 102-575, to change water management practices in the CVP in order to lessen the ecological impact on the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers. Actions mandated included the release of more water to supply rivers and wetlands, funding for habitat restoration work (especially for anadromous fish spawning gravels), water temperature control, water conservation, fish passage, increasing the service area of the CVP's canals, and other items. Despite the preservation of river programs, the state legislature continued to have the power to construct dams.

CVP Government Library

CVP resources

* The U.S. Dept. of Interior's US Bureau of Reclamation is the federal agency that manages the CVP
Annual reports 1995-to present
* The U.S. Dept. of Energy's Western Area Power Administration oversees distribution of the CVP's federally produced electricity * The

manages 17 of the Central Valley Project dams including it
dam safety alert system

Licensed Hydroelectric Projects
at the

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates the interstate transmission and wholesale sale of electricity and natural gas and regulates the prices of interstate transport ...

* The

Central Valley Regional Offic
monitors the CVP's Endangered Species Act Operations

U.S. Department of Justice - Central Valley project Environment and Natural Resources Division

* ttps://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2009/3057/ USGS California Central Valley Groundwater Study Tool
USGS Groundwater Data for California

USGS Goose Population Dynamics in the California Central Valley and Pacific Flyway

Central Valley Watershed Monitoring Directory

Findlaw California Water Code Search Engine
* The

(SWP) is managed by the

California Department of Water Resources The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) is part of the California Natural Resources Agency and is responsible for the management and regulation of the State of California's water usage. The department was created in 1956 by Governor ...

Central Valley Flood Protection Plan

Association of California Water Agencies

Directory - Association of California Water Agencies

Sacramento Valley Water Quality Coalition (SVWQC)

Overview of Projected Climate Change in the California Central Valley , California Climate Commons

Regulated Water Utilities in California , California Water Association
* The California Reclamation Districts are the legal districts that manage the Central Valley's levees
California Water Districts

Ca. Dept. of Water Resources: Central Valley History

Chronology of Major Litigation Involving the CVP and SWP

The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance's Listen to the River peer review summary
* The

California Water Plan The California Water Plan (Water Plan) is the State of California’s long-term strategic plan for managing and developing water resources throughout the state. The Water Plan is mandated by California Water Code Sections 10004–10013, and the C ...

is the state's official water policy with the latest version completed in 2013 *

Water in California California's interconnected Tap water, water system serves almost 40 million people and irrigates over of farmland. As the world's largest, most productive, and potentially most controversial water system, it manages over of water per year. Use ...

Summarizes the history and details of the state's water policy issues. * California's

Irrigation district In the United States an irrigation district is a cooperative, self-governing public corporation set up as a subdivision of the State government, with definite geographic boundaries, organized, and having taxing power to obtain and distribute water ...

's 92 public self-governing subdivisions of the State that purchase water from the CVP
Central Valley Ag - CVA

MAVEN'S NOTEBOOK , California Water news

UC Davis: California Water Primer

Water Education Foundation

Library of Congress - Central Valley Project

CVP annual construction costs 1935-1959

1945 U.S. Bureau of Reclamation 160-acre Legal analysis

US Bureau of Reclamation Documents - Hathi Trust Digital Library

"The Central valley project"
by

Federal Writers' Project The Federal Writers' Project (FWP) was a federal government project in the United States created to provide jobs for out-of-work writers and to develop a history and overview of the United States, by state, cities and other jurisdictions. It was ...

(U.S.) California, 1942
1956 Congressional Library on authorizing Documents Central Valley Project - Includes detailed timeline

1,600 page investigation of USBR that includes the Reclamation Reform Act of 1979: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Energy

1984 Information Bulletin #2 U.S. BUREAU of RECLAMATION - KESTERSON RESERVOIR - AND WATERFOWL - Impacts
* 1986 - Th
Agreement between the United States of America and the State of California for coordinated operation of the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project
*
The Grapes of Wrath Movie
&

book A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...

* Cadillac Desert documentary &

* Farmworker movements in California from the Grange, IWW and the Wheatland hop riot, the Bracero's to the

United Farm Workers The United Farm Workers of America, or more commonly just United Farm Workers (UFW), is a labor union for farmworkers in the United States. It originated from the merger of two workers' rights organizations, the National Farm Workers Associatio ...

Bitter Harvest, a History of California Farmworkers, 1870-1941 By Cletus E. Dani
* Dorothea Lange Central Valley
PBS Biography

* The

Southern Pacific railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...

, currently known as

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...

was the Central Valley's largest owner and played a major role in its evolution, from the Mussel Slough Tragedy, the California Development Company's

, its land grabs * California's version of

Pork barrel ''Pork barrel'', or simply ''pork'', is a metaphor for allocating government spending to localized projects in the representative's district or for securing direct expenditures primarily serving the sole interests of the representative. The u ...

politics Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

started with the

Owens Valley Owens Valley (Mono language (California), Mono: ''Payahǖǖnadǖ'', meaning "place of flowing water") is an arid valley of the Owens River in eastern California in the United States. It is located to the east of the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra ...

land and water takings by the city of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

with a PBS documentary series Part 1 and movie

Chinatown (1974 film) ''Chinatown'' is a 1974 American neo-noir mystery film directed by Roman Polanski and written by Robert Towne. It stars Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, with supporting performances from John Huston, John Hillerman, Perry Lopez, Burt Young, ...

* The Central Valley is also the home to one of the country's oldest and largest oil & gas industries, that includes the environmental controversial. use of

fracking Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, fracing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of formations in bedrock by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure inje ...

Gallery

File:US Department of Interrior Bureau of Reclamation - Central Valley Project Map 1938.png, US Department of Interior Bureau of Reclamation - Central Valley Project Map 1938 File:Web pdfs cvfr chinook.pdf, CVP Chinook Map File:Wea03344 - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library.jpg, Friant Dam - NOAA Photo Library File:Friant Dam & Milerton Lake.jpg, Friant Dam & Milerton Lake File:California fish and game (19893457633).jpg, Friant Dam File:Photograph "Indian Graveyard No. 1," from report "History of Indians Buried in Friant Dam Reservoir Area (California)... - NARA - 296229 (cropped).jpg, Photograph "Indian Graveyard No. 1," from report "History of Indians Buried in Friant Dam Reservoir Area (California)... - NARA - 296229 (cropped) File:Photograph "Indian Graveyard 'H'...containing the remains of Charlie Johnson and other Indians (Coarsegold Tribe),"... - NARA - 296227.tif, Photograph "Indian Graveyard 'H'...containing the remains of Charlie Johnson and other Indians (Coarsegold Tribe),"... - NARA - 296227 File:Photograph "View looking southeast of Picciune Indian Cemetery," from report "History of Indians Buried in Friant Dam... - NARA - 296228 (cropped).jpg, Photograph "View looking southeast of Picciune Indian Cemetery," from report "History of Indians Buried in Friant Dam... - NARA - 296228 (cropped) File:Photograph with text of group of Native Americans on land that will be submerged by a dam near Millerton and Friant... - NARA - 296302.tif, Photograph with text of group of Native Americans on land that will be submerged by a dam near Millerton and Friant... - NARA - 296302 File:Photograph "Rancheria Indian Cemetery below Pincushion Peak, Table Mountain, Fresno County," from report "History of... - NARA - 296225.tif, Photograph "Rancheria Indian Cemetery below Pincushion Peak, Table Mountain, Fresno County," from report "History of... - NARA - 296225

References

External links

Central Valley Project Operations Office
* http://www.sacmetronews.com/2018/02/tribes-fishermen-slam-trump-plan-to.html
Central Valley Project Summary

The Central Valley Project: Informational page and slideshow of project facilities
Mavens Notebook
USBR Glossary of Terms

"Food for 70,000,000 – How Engineering Wil Aid Nature in California's Central Valley"
''

Popular Science Popular science (also called pop-science or popsci) is an interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is more broad ranging. It may be written ...

'', March 1944, pp. 95–98. {{Central Valley Project infrastructure 1933 establishments in California Agriculture in California Energy infrastructure in California History of California Interbasin transfer Irrigation in the United States San Joaquin Valley United States Bureau of Reclamation

Overview

Operations

Background

History

Timeline

Facilities in the Sacramento Valley

Sacramento River

Trinity River

American River

Facilities in the San Joaquin Valley

Delta and canal system

San Joaquin River

Stanislaus River

Offstream storage and aqueducts

Environmental impacts

CVP Government Library

CVP resources

Gallery

See also

References

External links