San Joaquin River

Technologies for Passing Fish at Large Dams

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | June 1st, 2013

Given the possible conditions that may exist in Central Valley streams as the climate warms, many researchers and agencies have recognized the need to evaluate opportunit

Given the possible conditions that may exist in Central Valley streams as the climate warms, many researchers and agencies have recognized the need to evaluate opportunities to provide Central Valley salmonid species access to currently inaccessible habitat (DWR 2008, NMFS 2009, and CA Resources Agency 2009). In addition, Lindley et al. (2007) stated that in order to recover Central Valley salmonids, some populations will need to be established in areas now blocked by dams. “The state should work with dam owners and operators, federal resource management agencies, and other stakeholders to evaluate opportunities to introduce or reintroduce anadromous fish to upper watersheds. Reestablishing anadromous fish, such as salmon, upstream of dams may provide flexibility in providing cold water conditions downstream, and thereby help inform system reoperation.” (CA Resources Agency 2009) The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation dedicates over 1.2 million acre-feet of water, through operation of the Central Valley Project, to fish and wildlife. DWR releases water to meet minimum flow and temperature requirements downstream of Oroville Dam. Climate change may warm rivers and streams, with less water available for ecosystem flow and temperature needs in spring and summer (CA Resources Agency 2009). As temperatures warm, more cold water storage may be needed so that releases can be made to meet temperature requirements downstream. Providing anadromous1 fish passage to areas upstream of reservoirs could eliminate or reduce the need for cold water releases and give water managers additional flexibility in meeting downstream water supply and flood protection needs. In addition, it is prudent to consider fish passage opportunities as part of potential systems reoperations because other agencies are conducting planning efforts for fish passage ...

Temporary Urgency Change Petition for February 1, 2023, through March 31, 2023

California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | February 13th, 2023

Ten Rivers in America's Future, No. 2. The Central Valley of California

U.S. Water Resources Policy Commission | July 1st, 1950

Term 91: Stored Water Bypass Requirements

California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | April 8th, 2012

Pursuant to numerous Board decisions (D-1485, D-1641, Order 2001-05), the Projects are required to release stored water to meet water quality standards in the Delta (incl

Pursuant to numerous Board decisions (D-1485, D-1641, Order 2001-05), the Projects are required to release stored water to meet water quality standards in the Delta (including flow and salinity standards) where natural flows are insufficient. The obligation was originally placed on the Projects as an interim measure pending future studies of how the obligation to meet water quality standards would be shared with other appropriators. In return for resolving Project protests on subsequent applications to appropriate water, Term 91 was developed and made a condition to permits issued after 1965. Term 91 prohibits diversions by these Permittees when natural and abandoned flows to the Delta are insufficient to meet the water quality standards and the Projects are supplementing such flows with previously stored water to meet the standards. The purpose of this report is to explore the enhanced use and more vigorous enforcement of diversion curtailments as a means to achieve flow standards. This subject matter is relevant to the Delta even through the Projects are under a present and legal obligation to meet existing flows standards.

The 1976–1977 California drought: A review

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | May 1st, 1978

This is the fifth and final Department of Water Resources' report on the 1976-1977 California drought, the worst in the state's history, which saw 1076, the fourth driest

This is the fifth and final Department of Water Resources' report on the 1976-1977 California drought, the worst in the state's history, which saw 1076, the fourth driest year of record, give way to 1977, the driest ever. These reports provide the most comprehensive documentation of a drought in history.  

The 2025-26 Budget: Proposition 4 Spending Plan

Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) | February 12th, 2025

The Agricultural Significance of Sunshine as Illustrated in California

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) | September 4th, 1919

The Anatomy of a Drought in the Upper San Francisco Estuary: Water Quality and Lower-Trophic Responses to Multi-Year Droughts Over a Long-Term Record (1975-2021)

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | December 23rd, 2024

The Ancient Lakes of Western America, their Deposits and Drainage

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | September 8th, 1870

By continental elevation the whole country west of the Mississippi was raised out of the cretaceous sea, and these estnaries became lakes inclosed by raised dry land. The

By continental elevation the whole country west of the Mississippi was raised out of the cretaceous sea, and these estnaries became lakes inclosed by raised dry land. The knowledge of this country from the Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean has been accumulated by various explorers besides the writer, as Dr. Hayden, Mr. George Gibbs, Professors W. P. Blake and Thomas Antisell, and Prof. J. D. Whitney and the State Geological Survey of California, and Baron Richtofen, the lamented Rémond, Drs. Shiel, Wislizenus, and others. Besides Mr. Clarence King has explored a large tract of this country, but his very important contributions have not, as yet, been made public. The general character of the topography of the region west of the Mississippi has been given by these great lines of elevation traversing the country from north to south. There are the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevada, and the Coast Ranges. The last is the most modern, and is composed, for the most part, of Miocene Tertiary rocks. Parallel with this lies a narrow trough, in California traversed by the Sacramento and San Joachin Rivers, encroached on by the mountains at places, but still in Oregon and Washington, traversed by the Willamette and Cowletz Rivers. These two sections are drained through the Golden Gate and Columbia.

The Basin Characterization Model—A Regional Water Balance Software Package

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | March 22nd, 2021

This report documents the computer software package, Basin Characterization Model, version 8 (BCMv8)—a monthly, gridded, regional water-balance model—and provides det

This report documents the computer software package, Basin Characterization Model, version 8 (BCMv8)—a monthly, gridded, regional water-balance model—and provides detailed operational instructions and example applications. After several years of many applications and uses of a previous version, CA-BCM, published in 2014, the BCMv8 was refined to improve the accuracy of the water-balance components, particularly the recharge estimate, which is the most difficult to accurately assess. The improvement of the various water-balance components targeted the actual evapotranspiration component, which, in turn, reduced the uncertainty of the recharge estimate. The improvement of this component was enabled by the availability of a national, gridded actual-evapotranspiration product from the U.S. Geological Survey that was unique in its scope to combine remotely sensed spatial variability and ground-based long-term water-balance constraints. This dataset provided the ability to assess monthly actual evapotranspiration for 62 vegetation types and to perform regional calibration in watersheds throughout California with the objective of closing the water balance using improved estimates for each component. The refinements, including vegetation-specific evapotranspiration, enabled the development of applications that could explore various aspects of landscape disturbance, such as wildfire, forest management, or urbanization. The improvements to BCMv8 also provided the ability to assess long-term sustainability of water resources under a variety of management applications or future climate projections.