The historic $2.7 billion of voter-approved bond money will go to elevating two Bay Area dams, at Los Vaqueros Reservoir near Livermore and Pacheco Reservoir east of Gilroy, as well as to the development of two much larger dams in the Central Valley.
Collectively, the projects would add about 4.3 million acre feet of water storage across the state, the equivalent of about a dozen of San Francisco’s Hetch Hetchy reservoirs.
Although the larger dams, at the proposed 13-mile-long Sites Reservoir along the Sacramento River and 18-mile-long Temperance Flat Reservoir on the San Joaquin River, are still well short of the money they need to get off the ground, the Bay Area projects are now close to moving forward.
“Getting the money is a greater step toward water reliability for the Bay Area region,” said Oliver Symonds, a spokesman for the Contra Costa Water District, which was allocated $459 million for the proposed $980 million expansion of Los Vaqueros Reservoir.
The reservoir, which holds water piped in from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, would grow by 70 percent, increasing its capacity to 275,000 acre-feet of water, enough to supply more than a half million households for a year.
With $485 million of Prop.
1 money, the Santa Clara Valley Water District plans to construct a new $969 million dam on Pacheco Creek in eastern Santa Clara County, in the footprint of a smaller dam.
The project would store 500,000 acre feet of water piped in from the nearby Sacramento River.
“But it’s a step in the right direction.” Watson said he is pursuing funding from other sources, including the many water agencies that would benefit from Sites, largely districts that provide water for farms.
1 funding for water storage is the most the state has allocated since construction of the State Water Project, which consists of 21 dams and hundreds of miles of canals, built largely in the 1960s.

FLOWS SYMPOSIUM, PART 3: Hydrographs and Ecological Functions in the Present-day Landscape of the Sacramento River;.
The Science of Natural Flows to the Delta, explored how the hydrologic regime of Delta inflows are impacted by land-use changes, diversions from the watershed, and climate change.
In this installment of coverage, Dr. Bruce Herbold uses conceptual models to show the cascade of responses to altered flow, drawing on four examples from the Sacramento River, and Dr. Sarah Yarnell the discussed ecological cues that native species use in relation to the flow regime and the potential implications for management of Sierra streams and rivers.
“EPA Headquarters is trying to develop some guidance on how to put flow into discussing water quality concerns for the protection of beneficial uses,” he said.
“That all sounds boring, but I don’t find it boring.
“The lower right hand corner is an integral part of San Joaquin salmon and steelhead migratory corridor.
We talk about flows through there.
So talking about flows independent of geomorphology, especially I think in this system is stupid.” DR. SARAH YARNELL: Ecological Response to the Unregulated Spring Flow Regime in the Sierra Nevada Dr. Sarah Yarnell is Associate Project Scientist at the Center for Watershed Sciences, and her presentation was drawn from research she and her colleagues have done regarding the relationships between aquatic native species and instream flow regimes.
Specifically, she will be talking about research they conducted in the northern Sierra mountains draining into the rim dams, some of the research on the restored floodplain on the Cosumnes River, the ecological cues that native species use in relation to the flow regime, the effects of those flow regimes in regulated and unregulated systems, some of the research of climate change impacts on flow regimes, and then talk about some of the potential implications for management in our Sierra and rivers here in California.
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NOTICE OF PUBLIC WORKSHOPS: 2018 Joint Triennial Review of the Water Quality Control Plans for the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River Basins and the Tulare Lake Basin.
From the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board: The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Central Valley Water Board) is beginning the process of reviewing its Water Quality Control Plans for the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River Basins and for the Tulare Lake Basin (Basin Plans).
The Basin Plans cover all the watersheds of the Central Valley from the Oregon state border to the northern tip of Los Angeles County.
The Central Valley Water Board staff will hold two public workshops to receive comments on basin plan elements that may need amendment.
The purpose of the triennial review is to identify high priority basin planning issues that the Central Valley Water Board will direct basin planning efforts over the next three years.
While Central Valley Water Board members may be present, no action will be taken on the triennial review during these workshops.
The public workshops are scheduled as follows: Date: 16 August 2017 Time: 1:00 pm Place: Central Valley Water Board office 1685 E Street Fresno, CA 93706 Date: 23 August 2017 Time: 1:00 pm Place: Central Valley Water Board office 11020 Sun Center Drive, Suite 200 Rancho Cordova, CA 95670 The workshop facilities will be accessible to persons with disabilities.
Staff will provide an update to the Central Valley Water Board as an information item during its August 2017 Board meeting and will include a summary of written comments submitted by 31 July 2017.
Comments on either Basin Plan may be presented at either workshop.
Following the workshops, staff will review oral and written comments and prepare final recommendations in work plans for Central Valley Water Board consideration at a future public hearing.

NEWS WORTH NOTING: Butte Creek salmon recovery efforts celebrated: Weekly Water and Climate Update: Snowpack persists in the mountains of the West.
Butte Creek Salmon Recovery Efforts Celebrated 20th Anniversary of Restoration Efforts that Have Led to Significant Salmon Recovery DURHAM – Partners from state and federal agencies, conservation organizations, water districts, and farmers today commemorated the 20th anniversary of restoration efforts on Butte Creek that have led to a significant recovery of spring-run Chinook salmon.
The Butte Creek Fish Passage Improvement projects are located along 90 miles of the middle reach of Butte Creek, comprising one of the nation’s most significant fisheries restoration efforts.
Today, as a result of the Butte Creek Fish Passage Improvement projects, in tandem with a valuable food supply and safe rearing habitat in the Sutter Bypass wetlands, more than 10,000 spring-run salmon return on average to Butte Creek.
“The Butte Creek effort is a leading example of how regional leaders are working to re-establish the natural connection between water and the landscape, providing functional and targeted flows that are directly tailored to benefit salmon and other species,” said Ted Trimble, General Manager, Western Canal Water District.
“And the results of these efforts are real, they are making a difference.” There are many reasons for this success including water management in the upper reach of Butte Creek that provides well-timed functional flows for spawning and holding habitat; the Butte Creek fish passage improvement projects along the middle reach of the creek, including the Gorrill Ranch diversion and the Western Canal Gary Brown siphon; and fish food production and safe rearing habitat for juvenile fish in the lower reach of the creek flowing through the wetlands created by the Sutter Bypass.
“The Butte Creek restoration projects happened because of the cooperation between the different communities involved.
The report focuses on seasonal snowpack, precipitation, temperature, and drought conditions in the U.S. A combination of widespread June snowstorms and cool temperatures has slowed snowmelt at high-elevation Snow Telemetry (SNOTEL) sites in June.
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From the State Water Board’s CA Water Fix Hearing Team: Today we concluded Part 1 rebuttal and are cancelling hearing days until sur-rebuttal starts. Sur-rebuttal testimony and exhibits are due 12 noon, June 9, 2017 and the hearing will resume at 9:30 AM on June 15, 2017. Click here for the latest schedule. For more on the California Water Fix proceedings at the State Water Board, visit: http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/bay_delta/california_waterfix/water_right_petition.shtml Delta Cross Channel Gates Remain Closed through Memorial Day From the Bureau of Reclamation: The Bureau of Reclamation will keep its Delta Cross Channel Gates closed this Memorial Day weekend, which runs Friday, May 26 through Monday, May 29. The closure is due to persistent high flows in the Sacramento River system. Please be advised that the decision to open or close the gates can be made on short notice based on requirements. The Delta Cross Channel Gates control the diversion channel near Walnut Grove, about 30 miles south of Sacramento. When the gates are open, fresh water is drawn from the Sacramento River into…

(208 percent of average) Sacramento Valley Index (SVI) (50 percent exceedance) 13.9 (Wet) San Joaquin Valley Index (75 percent exceedance) 5.8 (Wet) Forecasting Record Water Year Runoff Volumes: Due in large part to the high runoff volumes in January and February, the projected median Water Year forecasts for the Feather, Yuba, American, Mokelumne, Stanislaus, Truckee, and East Carson are predicting records.
For other watersheds, record Water Year volumes are forecast in the 25 and 10 percent exceedance levels, and in the case of the Yuba and American Rivers the 99, 90, and 75 percent exceedance levels as well.
Eight River Index (8RI)
Runoff: After February, when the flow rate was near 400 percent of average, March data indicates a statewide flow of about 155 percent of average.
During March, all rivers in the Sierra north of the Mokelumne flowed at a rate less than 170 percent of average.
Unimpaired flows for the 2016-2017 water year: Region October-March Runoff (%) March Runoff (%) Sacramento Valley Index (4 rivers) 246 147 San Joaquin Valley Index (6 rivers) 350 193 Tulare Lake Basin (4 rivers) 282 222 Precipitation: The 83.5 inches of precipitation measured during October-March in the Northern Sierra 8-Station Index ranks as the highest total during that six-month span in the entire record of the 8-Station Index dating back to 1921.
8-Station Index 5-Station Index 6-Station Index 2006 2011 2017 2006 2011 2017 2006 2011 2017 April 12.04 3.40 4.30 10.78 1.87 3.09 7.27 1.56 1.80 May 1.48 4.88 — 1.56 3.52 — 0.87 2.53 — June 0.32 2.95 — 0.08 2.77 — 0.07 0.88 — July 0.00 0.02 — 0.61 0.04 — 0.64 0.58 — Total 13.84 11.25 — 13.03 8.20 — 8.85 5.55 — Precipitation for the 2016-2017 water year accumulated at the following rates of average: Hydrologic Region October-March precipitation (%) Sacramento River 185 San Joaquin River 187 Tulare Lake 185 Statewide 175 Precipitation Index Percent of Seasonal Average to Date through April 10, 2017 Northern Sierra 8-Station Index 204 (87.7 inches) San Joaquin 5-Station Index 195 (68.0 inches) Tulare Basin 6-Station Index 179 (45.0 inches) Snowpack: Snowpack is monitored using two complementary methods: automatic snow sensor (or “pillow”) readings and manual snow course measurements.
The snow sensors give us a daily snapshot of snow conditions while the manual snow course measurements provide a monthly verification of snow conditions in locations where snow has been measured in the same manner as far back as 100 years.
The snowpack as of the morning of April 10, 2017 stands at the following (based on snow sensors): Region Snow Water Equivalent (inches) % of Average (Apr 1) % of Average (Apr 10) Northern 42.0 149 157 Central 51.1 177 180 Southern 43.7 166 170 Statewide 46.4 166 171 Weather and Climate Outlooks: The 6-day weather forecast indicates precipitation Statewide, with the majority of precipitation falling on day 3 (Wednesday) and day 4 (Thursday).
ENSO-neutral conditions are favored to continue through at least the Northern Hemisphere spring 2017, with increasing chances for El Niño development into the fall.

In the years before California’s civil engineers got around to confining the Sacramento River, it often spilled over its banks, inundating huge swaths of the Central Valley.
This winter, for the first time in a decade, and after five years of a crippling statewide drought, the Yolo Bypass is submerged again.
In the past five months—the wettest since record-keeping began, in 1895—California has experienced widespread hydrological chaos.
In January, after a series of heavy rainstorms, water managers activated the Sacramento Weir, filling the Yolo Bypass.
Less than a year ago, Lake Oroville was a vivid symbol of the state’s prolonged drought.
But Peter Gleick, the chief scientist at the Oakland-based Pacific Institute, told me that one year of heavy precipitation, even a record-breaking one, will not undo the most serious repercussion of the drought: a severe deficit of groundwater.
These days, though, more precipitation falls as rain than as snow, placing stress on the reservoirs.
“Unless a massive effort is made to both reduce overdraft and to artificially enhance recharge rates, California’s groundwater will continue to decline,” he wrote in an e-mail.
Last Friday, the state’s Department of Water Resources reopened the patched-up concrete spillway at Lake Oroville.
At the moment, there is no large-scale engineering system that would allow the huge surge of surface water currently flowing across California to be delivered to the Central Valley’s aquifers.

“This year to date, we’ve been running at a record pace for the majority of the winter in terms of the amount of precipitation that we’ve seen in the Northern Sierra,” he said.
The average for the northern Sierra is 50” for the water year.
The January-February inflow was 4.4 MAF which is equal to the average annual inflow into Lake Oroville.
“If you recall, we’re well over 200% of average on precipitation and about 166% on snowpack, so what that tells us essentially is we’ve been seeing the volume of precip has been coming in a warmer form than would be average, so that’s why the snowpack is not keeping up with the volume in terms of precipitation.” He noted that the snowpack number is a little bit closer on the Central and Southern Sierra, and there is still a concern moving into the spring of being able to manage the snowmelt that’s going to occur on the San Joaquin basin.
“So the 50% exceedance would include all of the snowpack melt that’s occurred as of March 1st plus precipitation that would occur on average from that point forward.
“Those are all based on those inflows into those reservoirs and the Sacramento Valley.” “To date, we’re running 282% of average in terms of runoff,” he said.
“That also tells you that the storms have been warmer than average because we’re 200% of average on precipitation but we’re 282% in terms of runoff, so typically more of the precipitation would have fallen as snow than it did this year and would runoff later in the year.” With respect to where we were last year, last year there was about average precipitation but runoff was only 6.7 MAF versus the 22.1 MAF, so over three times more runoff so far this year than last year, Mr. Leahigh said.
For Delta outflows just since January 1st , 26 MAF of outflow went out the Golden Gate, so 26 Folsom Reservoirs just since January 1st of water that had to be passed through for flood control purposes in order to continue to hold that vacant storage for snowmelt and for any subsequent precipitation events that could occur from this point forward.” He said that reservoir storage on the San Joaquin system is very high right now, so they are working to create as much of a hole in the tributary reservoirs in order to absorb that snowpack when it does start to melt off a little bit later this spring.
We have some uncertainties with Lake Oroville, but in years like this, there are a lot of other flows that are coming into the Delta so that we’re much less reliant on storage from Lake Oroville in the very wet years, so we’re looking for opportunities to increase that allocation as we move forward in the spring.” To conclude, Mr. Leahigh showed a comparison of the this year’s drought monitor compared to last year at about the same time.
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