Located on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley in the Coast
Range foothills, San Luis Dam and Reservoir are used by the state
and federal governments to store water diverted from the Delta.
It is the largest offstream reservoir in the United States.
The San Luis Reservoir is a key water facility serving both the
State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project. It
can hold 2 million acre-feet of water and is jointly owned by the
federal Bureau of Reclamation and California’s Department of
Water Resources. The state’s share of the San Luis
Reservoir water is 55 percent.
Despite California’s historic wet weather this year that
brought relief to drought-stricken regions, one small city in
the San Joaquin Valley continues to suffer. No place has
suffered more from the state’s recent stretch of dry weather
than Coalinga in Fresno County. … And pay they did -
almost 10 times what the city would normally pay for its
water. Coalinga gets its water from the San Luis
Reservoir. At the drought’s height, the city’s allotment was
cut by 80%.
California has been on an amazing roller coaster of drought and
floods recently. The three years from 2020 to 2022 were the
driest three-year period in the state’s recorded history,
breaking the old record set during the previous drought from
2013 to 2015, according to the state Department of Water
Resources. But after a deluge this winter, reservoirs are full.
Wildfire risk has dropped. Groundwater tables in many areas
have risen. The Sierra snowpack, the source of 30% of
California’s water supply, was at 324% of normal on Thursday,
the highest level in 40 years. The extreme swings have been
documented each week in color-coded maps issued by the U.S.
Drought Monitor, a weekly report by the NOAA, the USDA and the
University of Nebraska. Here’s how it unfolded: The drought
began with below-average rain and snow in the winter of
2019-2020.
If the Delta Conveyance Project had already been constructed,
in 2023 the project would have provided zero acre feet of
additional water supply, while contractors would have had to
pay as much as $1 billion or more to pay for the project this
year. However, you’d never know this based on DWR’s
latest misinformation about its Delta tunnel project.
… Currently, the State Water Project’s and federal
Central Valley Project’s existing pumping plants in the South
Delta could be diverting a lot more water than they are today
while complying with existing or even stronger environmental
regulations. However, for the past several weeks the SWP
and CVP have been pumping significantly less water than they
are allowed to, because San Luis Reservoir is completely full,
meaning there is no place for the CVP and SWP to store
additional water diversions.
This tour ventured through California’s Central Valley, known as the nation’s breadbasket thanks to an imported supply of surface water and local groundwater. Covering about 20,000 square miles through the heart of the state, the valley provides 25 percent of the nation’s food, including 40 percent of all fruits, nuts and vegetables consumed throughout the country.
The San Joaquin Valley, known as the
nation’s breadbasket, grows a cornucopia of fruits, nuts and
other agricultural products.
During our three-day Central Valley Tour April
3-5, you will meet farmers who will explain how they prepare
the fields, irrigate their crops and harvest the produce that
helps feed the nation and beyond. We also will drive through
hundreds of miles of farmland and visit the rivers, dams,
reservoirs and groundwater wells that provide the water.
Get a unique view of the San Joaquin Valley’s key dams and
reservoirs that store and transport water on our March Central
Valley Tour.
Our Central Valley
Tour, March 14-16, offers a broad view of water issues
in the San Joaquin Valley. In addition to the farms, orchards,
critical habitat for threatened bird populations, flood bypasses
and a national wildlife refuge, we visit some of California’s
major water infrastructure projects.
This 25-minute documentary-style DVD, developed in partnership
with the California Department of Water Resources, provides an
excellent overview of climate change and how it is already
affecting California. The DVD also explains what scientists
anticipate in the future related to sea level rise and
precipitation/runoff changes and explores the efforts that are
underway to plan and adapt to climate.
This 3-day, 2-night tour travels the length of the San Joaquin
Valley, giving participants a clear understanding of the State
Water Project and Central Valley Project.
30-minute DVD that traces the history of the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation and its role in the development of the West. Includes
extensive historic footage of farming and the construction of
dams and other water projects, and discusses historic and modern
day issues.
Water as a renewable resource is depicted in this 18×24 inch
poster. Water is renewed again and again by the natural
hydrologic cycle where water evaporates, transpires from plants,
rises to form clouds, and returns to the earth as precipitation.
Excellent for elementary school classroom use.
The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to the Central Valley Project
explores the history and development of the federal Central
Valley Project (CVP), California’s largest surface water delivery
system. In addition to the project’s history, the guide describes
the various CVP facilities, CVP operations, the benefits the CVP
brought to the state and the CVP Improvement Act (CVPIA).
A new look for our most popular product! And it’s the perfect
gift for the water wonk in your life.
Our 24×36 inch California Water Map is widely known for being the
definitive poster that shows the integral role water plays in the
state. On this updated version, it is easier to see California’s
natural waterways and man-made reservoirs and aqueducts
– including federally, state and locally funded
projects – the wild and scenic rivers system, and
natural lakes. The map features beautiful photos of
California’s natural environment, rivers, water projects,
wildlife, and urban and agricultural uses and the
text focuses on key issues: water supply, water use, water
projects, the Delta, wild and scenic rivers and the Colorado
River.
