California Reclamation Districts
Encyclopedia
California Reclamation Districts are legal subdivisions within California's Central Valley
that are responsible for managing and maintaining the levee
s, fresh water channels, or sloughs , canal
s, pump
s, and other flood protection structures in the area. Each is run autonomously and is run by an elected board and funded with taxes to property owners in the local area. However, the Central Valley Flood Control Board, has the power to determine that a district is not satisfactorily maintaining the structures and causing the California Department of Water Resources
to declare an area as a maintenance area.
represents former wetland
s that were "reclaimed" for agriculture. The reclamation districts were created by acts of State Legislature, mostly in the early 1900s in order to allow land to be used for agriculture. For example, Reclamation District No. 1000 was created on April 8, 1911. Reclamation was usually accomplished by the introduction of levee systems along with other flood control mechanisms to prevent flooding in wetland areas. In the state of California
, the levees also enabled large amounts of silt runoff from gold mining to be channeled all the way out to the San Francisco Bay
area, even at water levels that would normally flood the banks and therefore move too slowly for sediment transport
. Most of the structures were built as part of the Central Valley Project authorized by congress in 1917 and ultimately finished in 1960 by the US Army Corps of Engineers
. There are currently about 1600 miles of project levees as well as any pumps, canals, sloughs, bypasses and other flood protection structures which became the responsibility of the State of California in 1960. In total, there are around 13,000 miles of levees (if the non-project levees are included) in the State of California. Non-project levees are the levees which do not fall under the auspices of the state government and are considered the responsibility of the individual land owners. The vast majority of the water in the California watershed (or drainage basin
) falls into the central valley area which drains into the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, and so this is also where most of the levee systems and reclamation districts fall.
California Central Valley
California's Central Valley is a large, flat valley that dominates the central portion of California. It is home to California's most productive agricultural efforts. The valley stretches approximately from northwest to southeast inland and parallel to the Pacific Ocean coast. Its northern half is...
that are responsible for managing and maintaining the levee
Levee
A levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
s, fresh water channels, or sloughs , canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
s, pump
Pump
A pump is a device used to move fluids, such as liquids, gases or slurries.A pump displaces a volume by physical or mechanical action. Pumps fall into three major groups: direct lift, displacement, and gravity pumps...
s, and other flood protection structures in the area. Each is run autonomously and is run by an elected board and funded with taxes to property owners in the local area. However, the Central Valley Flood Control Board, has the power to determine that a district is not satisfactorily maintaining the structures and causing the California Department of Water Resources
California Department of Water Resources
The California Department of Water Resources , is a department within the California Natural Resources Agency. The Department of Water Resources is responsible for the State of California's management and regulation of water usage...
to declare an area as a maintenance area.
History
Historically, a reclamation districtReclamation district
Reclamation districts are a form of special-purpose districts in the United States which are responsible for reclaimining and/or maintaining land that is threatened by permanent or temporary flooding for agricultural, residential, commercial, or industrial use...
represents former wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s that were "reclaimed" for agriculture. The reclamation districts were created by acts of State Legislature, mostly in the early 1900s in order to allow land to be used for agriculture. For example, Reclamation District No. 1000 was created on April 8, 1911. Reclamation was usually accomplished by the introduction of levee systems along with other flood control mechanisms to prevent flooding in wetland areas. In the state of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the levees also enabled large amounts of silt runoff from gold mining to be channeled all the way out to the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
area, even at water levels that would normally flood the banks and therefore move too slowly for sediment transport
Sediment transport
Sediment transport is the movement of solid particles , typically due to a combination of the force of gravity acting on the sediment, and/or the movement of the fluid in which the sediment is entrained...
. Most of the structures were built as part of the Central Valley Project authorized by congress in 1917 and ultimately finished in 1960 by the US Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
. There are currently about 1600 miles of project levees as well as any pumps, canals, sloughs, bypasses and other flood protection structures which became the responsibility of the State of California in 1960. In total, there are around 13,000 miles of levees (if the non-project levees are included) in the State of California. Non-project levees are the levees which do not fall under the auspices of the state government and are considered the responsibility of the individual land owners. The vast majority of the water in the California watershed (or drainage basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
) falls into the central valley area which drains into the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, and so this is also where most of the levee systems and reclamation districts fall.
External links
- http://cdec.water.ca.gov/lma_maps.html - Aerial and Plat Maps for specific Districts