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99-766: The project is one of several on the North Fork and its tributaries, forming a hydroelectric system so extensive it has been dubbed the "Stairway of Power". The project was conceived in the early 1900s under the Great Western Power Company to provide hydroelectricity and water storage for irrigation in the Sacramento Valley . In 1908, the Big Bend or Las Plumas powerhouse was completed on the North Fork southeast of Paradise , generating 40 MW (later uprated to 70 MW) of hydroelectricity, which

198-421: A bond measure . Construction on Stage I of the project, which would deliver the first 2.23 million acre-feet (2.75 km ) of water, began in 1960. Northern Californians opposed the measure as a boondoggle and an attempt to steal their water resources. In fact, the city of Los Angeles – which was to be one of the principal beneficiaries – also opposed the project; locals saw it as a ploy by politicians in

297-451: A change in the design. In March 1913, with over 40 percent of the dam completed, a state commission declared the structure unsafe. The partly completed dam was dynamited and a new earthfill structure, containing over 250,000 cubic yards (190,000 m) of material, was built. The reservoir's name is a combination of the names of the daughters of Guy C. Earl, the vice president of Great Western. The construction of this reservoir, which at

396-554: A connection from Perris to Lake Skinner , further south. The original 1957 California Water Plan included provisions for dams on the Klamath, Eel, Mad and Smith Rivers of California's North Coast. Fed by prolific rainfall in the western Coast Ranges and Klamath Mountains , these rivers discharge more than 26 million acre-feet (32 km ) to the Pacific each year, more than that of the entire Sacramento River system. The plan

495-628: A giant offstream storage facility, San Luis Reservoir , formed by the nearby B.F. Sisk Dam . San Luis Reservoir is shared by the SWP and the federal Central Valley Project ; here water can be switched between the California Aqueduct and Delta-Mendota Canal to cope with fluctuating demands. The SWP has a 50 percent share of the 2.04 million acre-feet (2.52 km ) of storage available in San Luis Reservoir. South of

594-529: A maximum depth of 30 feet (9.1 m); some parts of the channel are capable of delivering more than 13,000 cu ft/s (370 m /s). The section of the aqueduct that runs through the San Joaquin Valley includes multiple turnouts where water is released to irrigate roughly 750,000 acres (300,000 ha) of land on the west side of the valley. The aqueduct enters the O'Neill Forebay reservoir west of Volta , where water can be pumped into

693-764: A pipeline known as the Central Coast Water Authority extension, completed in 1997, the Coastal Branch supplies water to Lake Cachuma , a 205,000 acre⋅ft (0.253 km ) reservoir on the Santa Ynez River . From the terminus of the main California Aqueduct at Tehachapi Afterbay, the West Branch carries water to a second reservoir, Quail Lake, via the Oso Pumping Plant. The water then runs south by gravity to

792-579: A rain-snow mix every few years, but, on the average, only snows about every 5 years. Farther south in Sacramento, snow rarely occurs. During the autumn and winter months, the entire Central Valley is susceptible to dense tule fog that makes driving hazardous, especially at night and especially south of Corning. The fog can last for weeks depending on how weak the wind is. In more recent years, statewide droughts in California have further strained both

891-533: A smaller 3.3 MW powerplant. The entire system generates approximately 2.2 billion kilowatt hours per year, making up about a third of the total power generated by SWP facilities. From Oroville, a regulated water flow travels down the Feather and Sacramento Rivers to the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta . North of Rio Vista , about 120,000 acre-feet (0.15 km ) per year is pumped into

990-509: A storage capacity of 2,477 acre-feet (3,055,000 m). The dam and reservoir serve as an afterbay for the Caribou 1 and 2 powerhouses and operate as a run-of-the-river facility, meaning that inflows from the powerhouses and the North Fork must be passed downstream at approximately the same rate. Oak Flat Powerhouse is located at Belden Dam and generates power from water released into the North Fork for fish and wildlife conservation purposes, as

1089-595: A tributary of the North Fork Feather River located south of Lake Almanor, was completed in 1924. The 84-foot (26 m) high, 1,370-foot (420 m) long dam forms a reservoir of 49,891-acre-foot (0.061540 km) which serves as an afterbay for the Butt Valley Powerhouse. Water from Butt Creek as well as North Fork water diverted through the Butt Valley Powerhouse is fed through tunnels from Butt Valley Reservoir to two powerhouses on

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1188-551: Is a pumped-storage hydroelectric plant capable of producing 1,247 MW on peak demand. Together, Pyramid and Castaic Lakes form the primary storage for West Branch water delivered to Southern California. Water is supplied to municipalities in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The East Branch takes water from Tehachapi Afterbay along the north side of the San Gabriel Mountains and San Bernardino Mountains to

1287-691: Is also the route of Amtrak 's Coast Starlight passenger train. The Union Pacific also has two east–west lines, through Donner Pass (the former Central Pacific Railroad ), and through the Feather River gorge (the former Western Pacific Railroad ). Amtrak's California Zephyr uses the Donner Pass route. The BNSF Railway has a line from Klamath Falls, Oregon , to a junction with the Union Pacific Feather River line at Keddie . The BNSF has trackage rights on both

1386-510: Is mostly made up of buried pipeline. Pumping plants at Las Perillas, Badger Hill, Devil's Den, Bluestone, and Polonio Pass serve to lift the water over the California Coast Ranges . Once over the crest of the mountains, the water is reregulated in a series of small reservoirs numbered Tanks 1 through 5. The Coastal Branch was completed in 1994 following a severe drought that led to calls for importation of SWP water. Through

1485-422: Is mostly used for irrigation. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (the largest entitlement holder) pays $ 298 per acre-foot ($ 241 per 1,000 m ). This basically means that cities are subsidizing the cost of farm water, even though the cities also provided primary funding for the construction of the SWP. In the early 1970s, the SWP system still had a lot of "surplus" – water supply developed through

1584-597: Is not part of the Upper North Fork project, but rather part of PG&E's separate Rock Creek-Cresta Hydroelectric Project . The 125 MW Belden Powerhouse, completed in 1969, has an average head of 770 feet (230 m) and a flow capacity of 2,410 cu ft/s (68 m/s). The plant generates about 395.5 GWh per year. 40°10′21″N 121°08′36″W  /  40.1725°N 121.1432°W  / 40.1725; -121.1432 Sacramento Valley The Sacramento Valley ( Spanish : Valle de Sacramento )

1683-399: Is run throughout the year while No. 1 is now only operated in times of higher demand or when service is required at No. 2. Belden Dam (also known as Caribou Afterbay Dam) is a small earthfill diversion dam located on the North Fork Feather River, about 6 miles (9.7 km) downstream from Canyon Dam. Completed in 1958, the dam is 84 feet (26 m) high and 400 feet (120 m) long, with

1782-608: 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 counties. Although many areas of the Sacramento Valley are rural, it contains several urban areas, including the state capital, Sacramento . Comparatively water-rich relative to

1881-637: Is the single most important reservoir of the project. Water stored in Lake Oroville is released through the 819 MW Edward Hyatt pumped-storage powerplant and two other hydroelectric plants downstream of Oroville Dam, which together make up the Oroville-Thermalito Complex . The Thermalito Forebay and Afterbay support the 120 MW Thermalito Pumping-Generating Plant, and the Thermalito Diversion Dam supports

1980-502: Is the tallest dam in the United States; by volume it is the largest dam in California. Authorized by an emergency flood control measure in 1957, Oroville Dam was built between 1961 and 1967 with the reservoir filling for the first time in 1968. Lake Oroville has a capacity to store approximately 3.54 million acre-feet (4.37 km ) of water which accounts for 61 percent of the SWP's total system storage capacity, and

2079-488: The California Aqueduct . Completed in 1963, the eleven pump units can lift up to 10,670 cu ft/s (302 m /s) of water – upgraded in 1986 from its original capacity of 6,400 cu ft/s (180 m /s) across seven units. From here the water flows briefly south along the California Aqueduct to the 4,800 acre⋅ft (0.0059 km ) Bethany Reservoir . The South Bay Pumping Plant supplies

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2178-599: The California Department of Water Resources . The SWP is one of the largest public water and power utilities in the world, providing drinking water for more than 27 million people and generating an average of 6,500 GWh of hydroelectricity annually. However, as it is the largest single consumer of power in the state itself, it has a net usage of 5,100 GWh. The SWP collects water from rivers in Northern California and redistributes it to

2277-503: The Canyon Dam to impound Lake Almanor at Big Meadows began in 1910. A rough one-way road was blazed from Greenville in the same year to transport workers and construction materials to the site, where a company town called Canyondam was established. Although originally conceived as a multiple-arch dam by its designers John S. Eastwood and H.H. Sinclair, concerns over the safety of this relatively new construction technique led to

2376-624: The Colorado River were insufficient to sustain the region's growth. The SWP was rooted in two proposals. The United Western Investigation of 1951, a study by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation , assessed the feasibility of interbasin water transfers in the Western United States. In California, this plan contemplated the construction of dams on rivers draining to California's North Coast – the wild and undammed Klamath , Eel , Mad and Smith River systems – and tunnels to carry

2475-666: The Donner Pass ; State Route 49 , named in honor of the California Gold Rush and running through many old mining towns in the foothills of the valley; and State Route 45 , which runs along the course of the Sacramento River roughly ten miles (20 km) east of I-5. The Union Pacific Railroad serves the valley, with its principal north–south line from Oakland , California to Portland, Oregon , via Sacramento , Marysville , Chico , and Redding. This

2574-510: The Edmonston Pumping Plant alone, the highest single water lift in the world. The SWP shares many facilities with the federal Central Valley Project (CVP), which primarily serves agricultural users. Water can be interchanged between SWP and CVP canals as needed to meet peak requirements for project constituents. The SWP provides estimated annual benefits of $ 400 billion to California's economy. Since its inception in 1960,

2673-620: The Metropolitan Water District passed Proposition W, a Southern California property tax bond to connect its regional water system to the new state project. In 1961, ground was broken on Oroville Dam , and in 1963, work began on the California Aqueduct and San Luis Reservoir . The first deliveries to the Bay Area were made in 1962, and water reached the San Joaquin Valley by 1968. Due to concerns over

2772-739: The North and Middle forks of the Feather River. Collectively referred to as the Upper Feather River Lakes, these three reservoirs provide a combined storage capacity of about 162,000 acre-feet (0.200 km ). Water released from the Upper Feather River system flows into Lake Oroville , which is formed by the Oroville Dam several miles above the city of Oroville . At 770 feet (230 m), Oroville

2871-533: The Peripheral Canal and Sites Reservoir, was to have been built beginning in the late 1970s and 1980s – but due to concerted opposition from Northern Californians, environmentalist groups and some economic interests, as well as the state's increasing debt, attempts to begin construction have all met with failure. Parties currently receiving SWP water are also opposed to its expansion, because water rates could be raised up to 300 percent to help pay for

2970-726: The Silverwood Lake reservoir, which can hold 73,000 acre⋅ft (0.090 km ). From here it passes through a tunnel under the San Bernardino Mountains to the Devil Canyon Powerplant, the largest "recovery plant", or aqueduct power plant, of the SWP system. The water then flows 28 miles (45 km) through the Santa Ana Tunnel to Lake Perris , which can store up to 131,400 acre⋅ft (0.1621 km ). Water deliveries through

3069-643: The South Bay Aqueduct , which has delivered water west to Alameda County since 1962 and Santa Clara County since 1965. The aqueduct carries a maximum of 188,000 acre⋅ft (0.232 km ) per year. Up to 77,100 acre⋅ft (0.0951 km ) of this water can be stored in Lake Del Valle , an offstream reservoir located near Livermore . South of the Bay Area diversions, the bulk of the SWP water – ranging from 1 to 3.7 million acre-feet (1.2 to 4.6 km ) per year – travels south along

Upper North Fork Feather River Project - Misplaced Pages Continue

3168-640: The fault -ridden geography of the Tehachapi Mountains, the tunnel plan was scrapped; the water would have to be pumped over the mountains' 3,500-foot (1,100 m) crest. In 1973, the pumps and the East and West branches of the aqueduct were completed, and the first water was delivered to Southern California. A Peripheral Canal , which would have carried SWP water around the vulnerable and ecologically sensitive Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta ,

3267-622: The heat index above 115 °F (46 °C) on the hottest days. At times the Breeze is gusty with wind speeds up to 30 mph (50 km/h) in the valley and 45 mph (75 km/h) in the windy delta region . This Breeze can also bring morning low clouds at times into the region, but the clouds generally burn off quickly and temperatures stay cool. Summer-like conditions continue into early to mid-September but weather starts to change to cooler, wetter, foggier weather during October which gives trees vibrant autumn foliage. Winters, also known as

3366-403: The valley , they provide water for agricultural, industrial, residential, and recreation uses. Most of the rivers are heavily dammed and diverted. In more recent years, statewide droughts in California have further strained the Sacramento Valley's water security . The terrain of the Sacramento Valley is primarily flat grasslands that become lusher as one moves east from the rain shadow of

3465-563: The 130-foot (40 m) high, 1,250-foot (380 m) long earthfill Canyon Dam (also known as Almanor Dam), is the primary storage facility for the project, with a capacity of 1,308,000 acre-feet (1.613 km) of water. At 28,160 acres (11,400 ha), Almanor is one of California's largest artificial lakes by surface area. The dam and reservoir control runoff from a watershed of 503 square miles (1,300 km), whose headwaters lie in Lassen Volcanic National Park to

3564-636: The 27.4-mile (44.1 km) North Bay Aqueduct , completed in 1988. The aqueduct delivers water to clients in Napa and Solano counties. The vast majority of the SWP water is drawn through the Delta's complex estuary system into the Clifton Court Forebay , located northwest of Tracy on the southern end of the Delta. Here, the Harvey O. Banks Pumping Plant lifts water 224 feet (68 m) into

3663-471: The 60-mile (97 km) Trinity Tunnel into the Sacramento River, and thence to the canals and pump systems of the SWP. This would have provided between 5 and 10 million acre-feet (6.2 and 12.3 km ) of water each year for the SWP. The diversion of the North Coast rivers, however were dropped from the initial SWP program. In the mid-1960s, devastating flooding brought renewed interest in damming

3762-602: The 78 MW William E. Warne Powerplant, located on the 180,000 acre⋅ft (0.22 km ) Pyramid Lake reservoir. The West Branch delivered about 537,000 acre⋅ft (0.662 km ) per year for the period 1995–2010. From Pyramid Lake, water is released through the Angeles Tunnel to the Castaic Power Plant on Elderberry Forebay and the 325,000 acre⋅ft (0.401 km ) Castaic Lake reservoir located north of Santa Clarita . Castaic Power Plant

3861-548: The Banks Pumping Plant pulls water from the Sacramento River southward across the Delta, it disrupts the normal flow direction of east to west that salmon smolt follow to the Pacific Ocean. Populations of salmon and steelhead trout have reached critically low levels in the decades after SWP water withdrawals began. The fish migration issue has become hotly contested in recent years, with rising support for

3960-586: The Caribou powerplant. The Caribou No. 2 powerplant was also built in 1958 to increase the total project generating capacity. In 1962, the Canyon Dam was raised again, enlarging the lake to its present capacity of 1,308,000 acre-feet (1.613 × 10 m). Six years later, in 1968, the giant Oroville Dam was completed on the Feather River as part of the California State Water Project , forming Lake Oroville , which flooded out most of

4059-561: The Central Valley. The Sacramento Valley's agricultural industry also resembles that of the San Joaquin Valley to the south. Nuts, such as almonds and walnuts , are of greater importance north of the Delta, and rice , nonviable in the drier San Joaquin Valley, is a major crop. While the region is wetter, soils are somewhat poorer in the Sacramento Valley; this means some crops, particularly vegetables, are less profitable compared to

Upper North Fork Feather River Project - Misplaced Pages Continue

4158-547: The Coast Ranges toward the Sierra. Unlike the San Joaquin Valley, which in its pre-irrigation state was a vegetation-hostile desert, the somewhat less arid Sacramento Valley had significant tracts of forest prior to the arrival of settlers of European ancestry. Most of it was cut down during the California Gold Rush and the ensuing wave of American settlement, although there are still some heavily tree-populated areas, such as

4257-685: The Cottonwood Ridge between Anderson and Cottonwood. There are some hills in Redding, a few more than Red Bluff, and north of Redding it is mainly foothills. One distinctive geographic feature of the Sacramento Valley is the Sutter Buttes . Nicknamed the smallest mountain range in the world, it consists of the remnants of an extinct volcano and is located just outside Yuba City , 44 miles north of Sacramento. Citrus and nut orchards and cattle ranches are common to both halves of

4356-550: The Dos Rios dam would have reduced the record 72-foot (22 m) Eel River flood crest of 1964 by only 8 inches (20 cm) had it been in place. In 1980, the North Coast rivers were incorporated into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers system, effectively eliminating the possibility of any projects to divert them. California WaterFix , is a planned twin forty-foot (12 m) tunnel project that would extend through

4455-619: The East Branch averaged 995,000 acre⋅ft (1.227 km ) per year from 1995 through 2012. The East Branch principally provides water for cities and farms in the Inland Empire , Orange County , and other areas south of Los Angeles. Through Lake Perris, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California receives a large portion of its water from the SWP. Water is also supplied to the San Diego Aqueduct through

4554-639: The Great Western Power Company and the Upper North Fork Project. However, the Western Canal Company (now known as the Western Canal Water District ) continued to hold water rights to Lake Almanor and other PG&E reservoirs along the Feather River, ensuring the continuation of irrigation deliveries. The third project dam, Belden Forebay, was built on the North Fork in 1958 to serve as an afterbay for

4653-578: The Metropolitan Water District and urban developers in Los Angeles. They claim it would eliminate the need to pull water directly through this sensitive region, reducing salinity intrusion and water quality problems during the dry season. The canal was included in the initial SWP planning, and the lack of the canal is among the principal reasons the SWP has never been able to deliver its full entitlement. Tunnel opponents believe

4752-642: The North Coast rivers. The Department of Water Resources formed the State-Federal Interagency Task Force with the Bureau of Reclamation and the Army Corps of Engineers to develop plans for developing the rivers in the name of flood control – which would, incidentally, provide a way to divert some of their water into the SWP system. Although most of the proposed projects met their demise over political squabbles, one that persisted

4851-540: The North Fork near Caribou . The 75 MW Caribou No. 1 powerhouse, completed in 1921, has an average head of 1,150 feet (350 m) and a flow capacity of 1,114 cubic feet per second (31.5 m/s), generating 171.4 GWh annually. The larger Caribou No. 2 powerhouse, completed in 1958, has a capacity of 120 MW, with the same hydraulic head as No. 1 but a larger flow capacity, 1,464 cubic feet per second (41.5 m/s). The plant generates 442.2 GWh per year. Because Caribou No. 2 has more efficient, newer turbines than No. 1, it

4950-429: The SWP has required the construction of 21 dams and more than 700 miles (1,100 km) of canals, pipelines and tunnels, although these constitute only a fraction of the facilities originally proposed. As a result, the project has only delivered an average of 2.4 million acre-feet (3.0 km ) annually, as compared to total entitlements of 4.23 million acre-feet (5.22 km ). Environmental concerns caused by

5049-415: The Sacramento River during the wet season. The Los Banos Grandes reservoir was first proposed in 1983 and would have served a similar purpose to Sites. The 1.73 million acre-feet (2.13 km ) reservoir would have been located along the California Aqueduct several miles south of San Luis Reservoir, and would have allowed for the storage of water during wet years when extra water could be pumped from

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5148-403: The Sacramento Valley's and the Sacramento metropolitan region's water security . The Sacramento River and its tributaries are a significant part of the geography of the Sacramento Valley. Rising in the various mountain ranges (the various Northern Coast Ranges to the west, the southern Siskiyou Mountains to the north, and the northern Sierra Nevada to the east) that define the shape of

5247-514: The Sacramento Valley's and the San Joaquin Valley's water security . Interstate 5 is the primary route through the Sacramento Valley, traveling north–south roughly along the valley's western edge. Interstate 80 cuts a northeast-to-southwest swath through the southern end of the valley, mostly through Sacramento and Yolo Counties, and ends at the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge . Several secondary routes connect

5346-566: The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta. Pumped-storage hydroelectric plants would have been built between Los Banos Grandes and the existing Los Banos flood control reservoir, and between that reservoir and the aqueduct. The current status of Los Banos Grandes remains uncertain, as the DWR has been unable to appropriate funding since the 1990s. The existing SWP facilities are collectively known as Stage I. Stage II, which includes such works as

5445-424: The San Joaquin Valley near Bakersfield . The aqueduct then reaches A.D. Edmonston Pumping Plant , which lifts the water 1,926 feet (587 m) over the Tehachapi Mountains that separate the San Joaquin Valley from Southern California. It is the highest pump-lift in the SWP, with a capacity of 4,480 cu ft/s (127 m /s) across fourteen units. Initial construction of Edmonston was completed in 1974, with

5544-425: The San Joaquin Valley. The Sacramento Valley is also not as extensively cultivated; there are many more smallholdings and more uncultivated arable land compared to south of the Delta. The town of Corning produces olives for oil extraction and for consumption as fruit. The Sunsweet Growers Incorporated headquarters are in Yuba City . The valley controls more than two-thirds of the worldwide prune market through

5643-413: The San Luis Reservoir complex, the aqueduct steadily gains elevation through a series of massive pumping plants. Dos Amigos Pumping Plant is located shortly south of San Luis, lifting the water 118 feet (36 m). Near Kettleman City , the Coastal Branch splits off from the main California Aqueduct. Buena Vista, Teerink and Chrisman Pumping Plants are located on the main aqueduct near the southern end of

5742-411: The UP east–west routes. In addition, the California Northern Railroad operates the former Southern Pacific Railroad line on the west side of the valley from Davis to Tehama (near Red Bluff). 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

5841-595: The United States, with temperatures often matching and even exceeding that of Phoenix, Arizona in its hottest years; the city's annual high temperature averages at 112 °F (44 °C). In the summer, the "Delta Breeze", which comes in from the San Francisco Bay Area , is known for bringing cooler temperatures and higher humidity to the southern parts of the valley. While it brings comparative relief for residents of Sacramento and Roseville, it often results in somewhat muggy conditions, with dew points sometimes reaching above 70 °F (21 °C) and occasionally pushing

5940-452: The canal being built. Since the 1980s, there has been interest in creating a large off-stream reservoir in the Sacramento Valley. Water "skimmed" off high winter flows in the Sacramento River would be pumped into a storage basin in the western side of the valley known as Sites Reservoir. The reservoir would hold about 1.8 million acre-feet (2.2 km ) of water to be released into the Sacramento River during low-flow periods, boosting

6039-429: The center of the Delta, 150 feet (46 m) below ground. Earlier designs called for a Peripheral Canal to skirt the Delta to the east. The tunnels would draw water from the Sacramento River to bypass the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, a vast estuary and agricultural region consisting of over 700 miles (1,100 km) of tidal waterways. Supporters of the canal and tunnel have included the Central Valley farmers and

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6138-521: The construction of Oroville Dam, which was running unused to the Pacific Ocean because the water delivery infrastructure for Southern California had not yet been completed (and when it was, southern California was slow to use the water). The surplus water was given for irrigation in the San Joaquin Valley instead. Because the water would only be a temporary supply, farmers were advised to use it for seasonal crops (such as alfalfa or hay) rather than permanent crops such as orchards. Nevertheless, many farmers used

6237-417: The construction of the Peripheral Canal, which would divert water around the Delta, restoring the natural flow direction. Water use and environmental problems associated with the SWP led to the creation of the CALFED Bay-Delta Program (CALFED) in 1994. The primary goals are to improve quality of SWP water while preventing further ecological damage in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta. In January 2014, after

6336-439: The construction project would do extensive damage to the sensitive Delta ecosystem, farms and communities. Opponents also believe there will be long-term damage to the Delta ecosystem from fresh water being removed prior to flushing through the Delta and flowing more naturally to the San Francisco Bay. Governor Jerry Brown had supported a ballot initiative approving the canal in the early 1980s, and stated his intention to finish

6435-603: The cost. As a result, SWP capacity falls short by an average of 2 million acre-feet (2.5 km ) each year; contractors only occasionally receive their full shares of water. The disparity of costs to the project's various constituents has been a frequent source of controversy. Although the overall average cost of SWP water is $ 147 per acre-foot ($ 119 per 1,000 m ), agricultural users pay far less than their urban counterparts for SWP water. The Kern County Water Agency (the second largest SWP entitlement holder) pays around $ 45–50 per acre-foot ($ 36–41 per 1,000 m ) of SWP water, which

6534-433: The dry-season removal of water from the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta , a sensitive estuary region, have often led to further reductions in water delivery. Work continues today to expand the SWP's water delivery capacity while finding solutions for the environmental impacts of water diversion. The original purpose of the project was to provide water for arid Southern California, whose local water resources and share of

6633-458: The flow of the river. A large storage reservoir was first proposed to be built at Big Meadows, about 40 miles (64 km) upstream from Big Bend, by engineer Julius M. Howells. Great Western Power Company began to buy land in the valley for the future reservoir, but encountered bitter local opposition. The small town of Prattville in Big Meadows was burned to the ground July 4, 1909; arson was suspected, but has never been proven. Construction of

6732-400: The greater Sacramento area. Foothills become more common from just south of Corning to Shasta Lake City . These are known as the Valley Hills and begin south of the Tehama-Glenn County line near Corning. There are also a few hills in Red Bluff and Corning. There is one major range of foothills between Cottonwood and Red Bluff known as the Cottonwood Hills (a.k.a. 9-mile Hill), and there is

6831-411: The impounded water to the Sacramento River system, where it could be diverted southwards. In the same year, State Engineer A.D. Edmonston proposed the Feather River Project, which proposed the damming of the Feather River , a tributary of the Sacramento River, for the same purpose. The Feather River was much more accessible than the North Coast rivers, but did not have nearly as much water. Under both of

6930-452: The last three units installed in the 1980s. Once reaching the crest of the Tehachapis, the aqueduct runs through a series of tunnels to the Tehachapi Afterbay, where its flow is partitioned between West and East Branches. The Coastal Branch diverts about 48,000 acre⋅ft (0.059 km ) per year from the California Aqueduct to parts of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. The aqueduct stretches for 143 miles (230 km), and

7029-444: The lower North Fork, including Big Bend Powerhouse and the Big Bend Dam. PG&E completed the Belden Powerhouse in 1969 to replace the lost capacity. The last component of the project, Oak Flat Powerhouse, was built in 1985 to generate power from fishery releases, as federal law requires a minimum flow to be maintained in the otherwise dewatered river stretches between the dams. Located southeast of Chester , Lake Almanor, formed by

7128-465: The moderately dry year of 2012 and the record California drought of 2013, the Department of Water Resources announced that the SWP would be making zero deliveries that year, the first time in the project's history, due to dangerously low snowpack and reservoir levels. On April 18, 2014, the Department of Water Resources increased the SWP allocation back to five percent and that level remained until

7227-660: The northern part of the valley and colder still in the foothills and frost can occur almost anywhere. Farther south near Sacramento, temperatures tend to stay between the low-50s and high-60s °F (10-20 °C), with nighttime temperatures dropping to the mid-30s and 40s °F (1-7 °C). Lower-elevation snowfall (in a relative sense) is more consistent in the foothills immediately above Sacramento and Folsom than anywhere else in California; Pollock Pines at 3,980 feet (1,210 m), gets an average of 65 inches (170 cm) of snow every winter, nearly double that of Yosemite Valley and more than triple that of Lucerne , Switzerland. During

7326-445: The northwest. Water from Lake Almanor is diverted southwest through the short Prattville Tunnel to Butt Valley Powerhouse, completed in 1958. The powerhouse is located on Butt Creek just above Butt Valley Reservoir. The 41 MW powerhouse has a gross hydraulic head of 362 feet (110 m) and a maximum flow capacity of 2,118 cubic feet per second (60.0 m/s). The powerhouse generates about 156.1 GWh per year. The dam on Butt Creek,

7425-609: The other Colorado River basin states to get Los Angeles to relinquish its share of the Colorado River. Historians largely attribute the success of the Burns-Porter Act and the State Water Project to major agribusiness lobbying, particularly by J.G. Boswell II of the J.G. Boswell cotton company. The bond was passed on an extremely narrow margin of 174,000 out of 5.8 million ballots cast. In 1966,

7524-556: The other segment of the Central Valley to the south, the San Joaquin Valley , there are slight differences in the crops are typically grown in the Sacramento Valley. Much wetter winters (averaging between 25–60 inches (640–1,520 mm) of annual precipitation in the nearby foothills) and an extensive system of irrigation canals allows for the economic viability of water-thirsty crops such as rice and Juglans hindsii -rootstock walnuts. Since 2010, statewide droughts in California (combined with unprecedented summer heat) have strained both

7623-614: The over 400 growers in California. Weather patterns in the Sacramento Valley are very similar to those in the San Joaquin Valley to the south, although the humidity and precipitation tend to be a bit higher. Summers are the dry season, with average daytime temperatures in the low to high 90s °F (low to mid 30s °C) but triple digits (38 °C and above) are a common occurrence, especially in Chico , Redding , Red Bluff , and Sacramento . Redding in particular has been notorious for having extremely hot summers despite its northern latitude within

7722-672: The plans, a series of canals and pumps would carry the water south through the Central Valley to the foot of the Tehachapi Mountains , where it would pass through the Tehachapi Tunnel to reach Southern California. Calls for a comprehensive statewide water management system (complementing the extensive, but primarily irrigation-based Central Valley Project ) led to the creation of the California Department of Water Resources in 1956. The following year,

7821-455: The preliminary studies were compiled into the extensive California Water Plan, or Bulletin No. 3. The project was intended for "the control, protection, conservation, distribution, and utilization of the waters of California, to meet present and future needs for all beneficial uses and purposes in all areas of the state to the maximum feasible extent." California governor Pat Brown would later say it

7920-517: The production and flexibility of California's water management system, yielding 470,000 to 640,000 acre⋅ft (0.58 to 0.79 km ) of new water per year. This project is being seriously considered by the Department of Water Resources, as California's water system is expected to face serious shortfalls of 2 million acre-feet (2.5 km ) per year by 2020. However, the project has been criticized for its high cost, and potential disruption of fish migration when large amounts of water are drawn from

8019-535: The project in its tunnel form during his second governorship (2011-2019). His successor, Gavin Newsom , has also supported the project. Supporters of the tunnel argue that water being drawn from the southern intakes creates problems for wildlife and changes the natural flow in these areas, which would be corrected by drawing water from farther north. Supporters also claim that the California levees are also vulnerable to earthquakes and directing water away from them protects

8118-502: The project, few roads existed in this rugged section of the Sierra, so construction supplies were delivered via the Western Pacific Railroad , which was also under construction at the time. At its completion, the Big Bend power plant had the largest turbines, transformers and penstocks of any hydroelectric plant in the world. However, year-round generation at the plant was an impossibility due to seasonal fluctuations in

8217-487: The rainy season, are generally mild to cool, foggy and wet. The valley and lower foothills are completely snowless outside of exceptional years where some flurries may occur. The rainy season runs from November to early-April, with some rainfall in September, October, and May. Up north, the temperature averages in the mid-40s °F (mid-to-high single digits °C) and lows reaching to the low-10s °F (-10 to -12 °C), colder in

8316-497: The rainy season, the Sacramento Valley is prone to strong thunderstorms and tornadoes , mostly of EF0 or EF1 intensity, especially in Colusa County and areas around Corning and Orland. Flooding does occur at times during wetter periods, usually November to March. Snow in the valley is rare, although Redding and Red Bluff , being at the north end of the valley, often experience a light dusting or two per year. Chico may get

8415-596: The reservoirs. Fishermen expressed concerns over the impact of the dams on the salmon runs of North Coast rivers, especially the Klamath – the largest Pacific coast salmon river south of the Columbia River . The project would have eliminated 98 percent of the salmon spawning grounds on the Klamath. California Governor Ronald Reagan refused to approve the Dos Rios project, citing economic insensibility and fraudulent claims made by project proponents. The flood control benefits, for example, were largely exaggerated;

8514-498: The river would otherwise be dry because of the diversion to Belden Powerhouse. Completed in 1985, the 1.3 MW plant generates about 6.7 GWh per year from a maximum flow of 140 cubic feet per second (4.0 m/s). Most of the water, however, is diverted through a 5-mile (8.0 km) long tunnel to the Belden Powerhouse, which is located on Rock Creek Reservoir, another small reservoir on the North Fork. Rock Creek Reservoir

8613-421: The supply of water. Delta farmers, communities, and commercial salmon and bass fishermen are especially concerned about the tunnel. However, some Delta scientists disagree. The new proposed canal would transport 1 million acre-feet (1.2 km ) of water to Silicon Valley , southern California and the majority of it would be directed to the Central Valley , a location with political influence and interest in

8712-460: The time, had a capacity of 220,000 acre-feet (270,000,000 m), ensured a steady water supply for the powerhouse and for irrigation during the summer. A Great Western Power Company subsidiary, the Western Canal Company, would manage the distribution of water to farmers on the lower Feather River near Oroville in Butte County . Between 1919 and 1921, the first Caribou Powerhouse was built on

8811-409: The tributary Butt Creek, and a tunnel was excavated from Lake Almanor to the creek to provide water for the powerhouse. A high dam on Butt Creek was built in 1924 to increase the total water storage and power capacity. Between 1925 and 1927, the Canyon Dam was expanded, increasing Lake Almanor's capacity to 880,000 acre-feet (1.09 km). In 1930, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) acquired

8910-551: The two roads, including Interstate 505 and State Route 113 . The Sacramento area has a web of urban freeways. Other principal routes in the region include State Route 99 , which runs along the valley's eastern edge, roughly parallel to I-5, from Sacramento until its northern terminus in Red Bluff ; State Route 20 , which traverses the valley from west to east on its route from State Route 1 in Mendocino County to

9009-629: The water supply available for SWP entitlement holders and improving water quality in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta. This project has previously arisen in several forms, including proposals for a Glenn Reservoir or the Glenn-Colusa Complex on nearby streams, which would also have been receiving reservoirs for water sent east through the Dos Rios Project's Grindstone Tunnel or other transfers from North Coast rivers. With its large storage capacity, Sites Reservoir would increase

9108-414: The water to develop new permanent crops, creating a dependency on SWP water that is technically part of Southern California's entitlement, This is now causing tensions as Southern California continues to increase its use of SWP water, decreasing the amount of surplus available to the system, especially in years of drought. In dry years, water pumped from the Delta creates a hazard to spring-run salmon . As

9207-590: The water-scarce but populous cities through a network of aqueducts, pumping stations and power plants. About 70% of the water provided by the project is used for urban areas and industry in Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area , and 30% is used for irrigation in the Central Valley . To reach Southern California, the water must be pumped 2,882 feet (878 m) over the Tehachapi Mountains , with 1,926 feet (587 m) at

9306-399: The western flank of the San Joaquin Valley through the California Aqueduct. The main section of the aqueduct stretches for 304 miles (489 km); it is composed mainly of concrete-lined canals but also includes 20.7 miles (33.3 km) of tunnels, 130.4 miles (209.9 km) of pipelines and 27 miles (43 km) of siphons. The aqueduct reaches a maximum width of 300 feet (91 m) and

9405-542: Was basically a variation of a contemporary Bureau of Reclamation project, the Klamath Diversion . A series of dams in these watersheds would shunt water through interbasin transfers into the Klamath River system. The centerpiece of the project would be a 15-million-acre-foot (19 km ) reservoir on the Klamath River – the largest man-made lake in California – from where the water would flow through

9504-458: Was rejected in 1982 due to environmental concerns. The Coastal Branch, which delivers water to coastal central California, was completed in 1997. The Feather River , a tributary of the Sacramento River , provides the primary watershed for the State Water Project. Runoff from the Feather River headwaters is captured in Antelope , Frenchman , and Davis reservoirs, which impound tributaries of

9603-535: Was sent as far away as Oakland , 154 miles (248 km) away. The power station replaced an earlier 1880 plant built by the Big Bend Tunnel and Mining Company for gold mining operations in the area which ultimately were unprofitable. In 1910, the Big Bend Dam, first permanent dam on the Feather River, was completed to increase the hydraulic head available to the powerhouse. During the early years of

9702-698: Was the Dos Rios Project on the Eel River system, which would have involved constructing a gigantic dam on the Middle Fork of the Eel River, diverting water through the Grindstone Tunnel into the Sacramento Valley. Supporters of this project cited the disastrous Christmas flood of 1964 and the flood control benefits Dos Rios would provide to the Eel River basin. The Klamath and Dos Rios diversions were heavily opposed by local towns and Native American tribes, whose land would have been flooded under

9801-455: Was to "correct an accident of people and geography". The diversion of the North Coast rivers was abandoned in the plan's early stages after strong opposition from locals and concerns about the potential impact on the salmon in North Coast rivers. The California Water Plan would have to go ahead with the development of the Feather River alone, as proposed by Edmonston. The Burns-Porter Act of 1959 provided $ 1.75 billion of initial funding through

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