California State Water Project
Encyclopedia
The California State Water Project, commonly known as the SWP (simply State Water Project), is the world's largest publicly built and operated water and power development and conveyance system. The SWP was designed and is operated by the California Department of Water Resources
. The original purpose of the project was to provide water for arid Southern California
which lacks adequate local water resources to provide for the growth the region has experienced. Today, the SWP provides drinking water for over 23 million people and generates an average 6.5 million MWh
of hydroelectricity
annually. However, as the largest single consumer of power in the state, its net usage is 5.1 million MWh
.
Construction began in the late 1950s, with major funding approved in a 1960 bond measure. The vote on the bond split along North-South lines, as Northern California
ns opposed the measure as a boondoggle and an attempt to steal their water resources. Most of the water (roughly 80%) carried by the project is used for agriculture, primarily in the San Joaquin Valley
, since pumping the water over the Tehachapi Mountains
is costly and Southern California has other sources of water such as the Owens River
, tributary creeks to Mono Lake
and the Colorado River
.
Primary features of the project include Oroville Dam
, San Luis Reservoir
, and the California Aqueduct
. In dry years, water pumped from the Sacramento River Delta
creates a hazard to spring-run salmon
, as the currents that the salmon spawn normally follow to the Pacific Ocean
go to the pumps instead. This and other water use and environmental problems led to the creation of the CALFED Bay-Delta Program
or CALFED in 1994.
People
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...
. The original purpose of the project was to provide water for arid Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
which lacks adequate local water resources to provide for the growth the region has experienced. Today, the SWP provides drinking water for over 23 million people and generates an average 6.5 million MWh
MWH
MWH may stand for:* International Air Transport Association airport code for Grant County International Airport* MWH Global, an international water engineering consultancy* Men Without Hats, a Canadian New Wave band...
of hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
annually. However, as the largest single consumer of power in the state, its net usage is 5.1 million MWh
MWH
MWH may stand for:* International Air Transport Association airport code for Grant County International Airport* MWH Global, an international water engineering consultancy* Men Without Hats, a Canadian New Wave band...
.
Construction began in the late 1950s, with major funding approved in a 1960 bond measure. The vote on the bond split along North-South lines, as Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
ns opposed the measure as a boondoggle and an attempt to steal their water resources. Most of the water (roughly 80%) carried by the project is used for agriculture, primarily in the San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
, since pumping the water over the Tehachapi Mountains
Tehachapi Mountains
The Tehachapi Mountains , regionally also called The Tehachapis, are a mountain range in the Transverse Ranges system of California in the Western United States...
is costly and Southern California has other sources of water such as the Owens River
Owens River
The Owens River is a river in southeastern California in the United States, approximately long. It drains into and through the Owens Valley, an arid basin between the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada and the western faces of the Inyo and White Mountains. The river terminates at Owens Lake, but...
, tributary creeks to Mono Lake
Mono Lake
Mono Lake is a large, shallow saline lake in Mono County, California, formed at least 760,000 years ago as a terminal lake in a basin that has no outlet to the ocean...
and the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
.
Primary features of the project include Oroville Dam
Oroville Dam
Oroville Dam spans the Feather River about northeast of the city of Oroville, California. It forms Lake Oroville, which stores water for irrigation, flood control, municipal water supply and hydroelectricity generation in California's Sacramento Valley. The dam lies in the foothills of the Sierra...
, San Luis Reservoir
San Luis Reservoir
The San Luis Reservoir is an off-stream artificial lake in the eastern slopes of the Diablo Range of Merced County, California, approximately west of Los Banos on State Route 152, which crosses Pacheco Pass and runs along its north shore. The reservoir stores water taken from the San...
, and the California Aqueduct
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 Mountains and valleys of Northern- and Central California to Southern California. The Department of Water Resources operates and maintains the...
. In dry years, water pumped from the Sacramento River Delta
Sacramento River Delta
The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, or California Delta, is an expansive inland river delta and estuary in northern California in the United States. The Delta is formed at the western edge of the Central Valley by the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers and lies just east of...
creates a hazard to spring-run salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
, as the currents that the salmon spawn normally follow to the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
go to the pumps instead. This and other water use and environmental problems led to the creation of the CALFED Bay-Delta Program
CALFED Bay-Delta Program
The CALFED Bay-Delta Program, also known as CALFED, is a department within the government of California, administered under the California Resources Agency. The department acts as consortium, coordinating the activities and interests of the state government of California and the U.S...
or CALFED in 1994.
List of SWP facilities
- Antelope Dam on Indian Creek in Plumas County, California
- California AqueductCalifornia AqueductThe Governor Edmund G. Brown California Aqueduct is a system of canals, tunnels, and pipelines that conveys water collected from the Sierra Nevada Mountains and valleys of Northern- and Central California to Southern California. The Department of Water Resources operates and maintains the...
- Castaic DamCastaic DamCastaic Dam is a dam near the city of Castaic, California. It is an earth-fill dam, though its surfaces are covered with boulders and cobble-sized rocks to prevent erosion. Although located on Castaic Creek and forming Castaic Lake, Castaic Creek provides little of its water. The lake is the...
- East Branch California Aqueduct
- Elderberry Forebay
- Lake PalmdaleLake PalmdaleLake Palmdale is an artificial lake completed in 1924 along with the nearby Littlerock Reservoir and the Littlerock Dam. It is part of the California State Water Project and is fed by the California Aqueduct...
on the California AqueductCalifornia AqueductThe Governor Edmund G. Brown California Aqueduct is a system of canals, tunnels, and pipelines that conveys water collected from the Sierra Nevada Mountains and valleys of Northern- and Central California to Southern California. The Department of Water Resources operates and maintains the...
in Los Angeles County, California - Oroville DamOroville DamOroville Dam spans the Feather River about northeast of the city of Oroville, California. It forms Lake Oroville, which stores water for irrigation, flood control, municipal water supply and hydroelectricity generation in California's Sacramento Valley. The dam lies in the foothills of the Sierra...
on the Feather RiverFeather RiverThe Feather River is the principal tributary of the Sacramento River, in the Sacramento Valley of Northern California. The river's main stem is about long. Its length to its most distant headwater tributary is about . Its drainage basin is about...
in Butte CountyButte County, CaliforniaButte County is a county located in the Central Valley of the US state of California, north of the state capital of Sacramento. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 220,000. The county seat is Oroville. Butte County is the "Land of Natural Wealth and Beauty."Butte County is watered by the...
, California - Pyramid DamPyramid DamPyramid Dam is a dam in the West Branch of the California Aqueduct. Its reservoir, Pyramid Lake, stores water for Ventura County and Los Angeles County. The dam and lake are located in northern Los Angeles County, north of Castaic and south of Gorman...
- San Luis DamSan Luis DamSan Luis Dam is a dam that creates San Luis Reservoir, which serves as an off-stream reservoir for the California State Water Project and the Central Valley Project. It is also known as the B.F. Sisk Dam, after Bernie Sisk. The earth-fill gravity embankment dam is 305 feet tall and was completed...
(jointly operated with Central Valley ProjectCentral Valley ProjectThe Central Valley Project is a Bureau of Reclamation federal water project in the U.S. state of California. It was devised in 1933 in order to provide irrigation and municipal water to much of California's Central Valley—by regulating and storing water in reservoirs in the water-rich northern...
) - West Branch California Aqueduct
See also
- Peripheral CanalPeripheral CanalA Peripheral Canal has been proposed to divert water from the Sacramento River, through the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta...
- Water in CaliforniaWater in CaliforniaCalifornia’s interconnected water system serves over 30 million people and irrigates over of farmland. As the world’s largest, most productive, and most controversial water system, it manages over of water per year.- Sources of water :...
People
- Patrick D. McGeePatrick D. McGeePatrick D. McGee was a Republican member of the California State Assembly from 1950 to 1957 and from 1966 until his death in 1970. He was a Los Angeles City Council member from 1957 to 1961, when he opposed the city's agreement to bring the Dodgers baseball team to a new stadium in Chavez...
(1916–70), California State Assembly member who fought for the State Water Project