North Bay Aqueduct
Encyclopedia
North Bay Aqueduct is part of the California State Water Project. The aqueduct is 27.4 miles (44.1 km) long all in pipelines and serves Napa and Solano counties, California
.
The State Water Project has rights to water originating from the Sacramento
and San Joaquin
Rivers, and it stores water in Lake Oroville
. The North Bay Aqueduct was envisioned as part of the State Water Project during the 1950s and 1960s when the project was being planned. Initial North Bay Aqueduct water service went to Benicia and Vallejo
. In 1990, the North Bay Regional Water Treatment Plant, serving Fairfield
and Vacaville, came on line and was able to treat water from the North Bay Aqueduct for these two cities. The aqueduct cost approximately $83 million to construct.
The North Bay Aqueduct is an underground pipeline that runs from Barker Slough in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to Cordelia Forebay, just outside of Vallejo. From the Cordelia Forebay water is pumped to Napa County, Vallejo and Benicia. Travis Air Force Base
is also served off the NBA. The size of the underground pipeline varies from 72 inches at Barker Slough to 54 inches at Cordelia Forebay. The NBA is operated remotely by the State Department of Water Resources (DWR) at the Delta Field Division office near Tracy
.
The aqueduct cannot deliver the full 175 cfs flow it was designed and contracted for. Pumping tests have shown that it can deliver a maximum of 142 cfs. DWR, SCWA and Napa County are investigating methods to increase the capacity of the NBA at least to the contract amount of 175 cfs.
The North Bay Aqueduct diverts this water from Barker Slough, in the Delta, to the Solano agencies for water supply. The major State Water Project facilities that deliver water to the North Bay Aqueduct include:
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 State Water Project has rights to water originating from the Sacramento
Sacramento River
The Sacramento River is an important watercourse of Northern and Central California in the United States. The largest river in California, it rises on the eastern slopes of the Klamath Mountains, and after a journey south of over , empties into Suisun Bay, an arm of the San Francisco Bay, and...
and San Joaquin
San Joaquin River
The San Joaquin River is the largest river of Central California in the United States. At over long, the river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through a rich agricultural region known as the San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suisun Bay, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean...
Rivers, and it stores water in Lake Oroville
Lake Oroville
Lake Oroville, also known as Lake Edmonston, is a reservoir in the U.S. state of California, formed by the Oroville Dam across the Feather River. The lake is situated in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada about northeast of Oroville. At over , it is one of the largest reservoirs in California,...
. The North Bay Aqueduct was envisioned as part of the State Water Project during the 1950s and 1960s when the project was being planned. Initial North Bay Aqueduct water service went to Benicia and Vallejo
Vallejo, California
Vallejo is the largest city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay...
. In 1990, the North Bay Regional Water Treatment Plant, serving Fairfield
Fairfield, California
Fairfield is a city located in Solano County in Northern California, USA. It is generally considered the midpoint between the cities of San Francisco and Sacramento, approximately from the city center of both cities, approximately from the city center of Oakland, less than from Napa Valley, 18...
and Vacaville, came on line and was able to treat water from the North Bay Aqueduct for these two cities. The aqueduct cost approximately $83 million to construct.
The North Bay Aqueduct is an underground pipeline that runs from Barker Slough in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to Cordelia Forebay, just outside of Vallejo. From the Cordelia Forebay water is pumped to Napa County, Vallejo and Benicia. Travis Air Force Base
Travis Air Force Base
Travis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force air base under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command , located three miles east of the central business district of Fairfield, in Solano County, California, United States. The base is named for Brigadier General Robert F...
is also served off the NBA. The size of the underground pipeline varies from 72 inches at Barker Slough to 54 inches at Cordelia Forebay. The NBA is operated remotely by the State Department of Water Resources (DWR) at the Delta Field Division office near Tracy
Tracy, California
Tracy is the second most populated city in San Joaquin County, California, United States and an exurb of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 82,922 at the 2010 census.-History:...
.
The aqueduct cannot deliver the full 175 cfs flow it was designed and contracted for. Pumping tests have shown that it can deliver a maximum of 142 cfs. DWR, SCWA and Napa County are investigating methods to increase the capacity of the NBA at least to the contract amount of 175 cfs.
The North Bay Aqueduct diverts this water from Barker Slough, in the Delta, to the Solano agencies for water supply. The major State Water Project facilities that deliver water to the North Bay Aqueduct include:
- Barker Slough Pumping Plant, which pumps water from Barker Slough into the NBA;
- North Bay Aqueduct, a pipeline that delivers water from Barker Slough to Cordelia Forebay: and
- Cordelia Forebay, where water is pumped to Napa County, Vallejo, and Benicia.
Water agencies
- Solano County Water Agency - Maximum Annual Entitlement 29025 acre.ft
- Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District - Maximum Annual Entitlement 47756 acre.ft