Sacramento and San Joaquin river basins: Procedures for hydrologic analysis

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) | September 9th, 2008

The primary purpose of this document is to describe the methods and procedures we will use to complete the hydrologic analysis of the Sacramento and San Joaquin river b

The primary purpose of this document is to describe the methods and procedures we will use to complete the hydrologic analysis of the Sacramento and San Joaquin river basins. Specifically, we describe the required inputs, models, analysis, and anticipated results. This description will give the HAC an opportunity to review, in advance, the procedures for the hydrologic analysis. The secondary purpose of this paper is to initiate development of a project management plan (PMP) by outlining specific procedural tasks to be completed in the hydrologic analysis.

Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers Basin Study: Technical Report

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) | March 8th, 2016

This Technical Report supplements the Sacramento and San Joaquin Basins Study Report (Summary Report) by providing greater detail on the technical approach employed in th

This Technical Report supplements the Sacramento and San Joaquin Basins Study Report (Summary Report) by providing greater detail on the technical approach employed in this analysis, including assumptions, methodologies and results not included in this Report. See the Summary Report for a discussion of the Basin Study program context (Section 1), basin settings (Section 2), and historic and projected climate (Section 2). Figure P-1 shows the geographic area included in the study. The Central Valley and regions that depend on the Sierra Nevada and Coast Range mountains for water have been facing rising demands for water from rapidly increasing populations, changes in land use, and growing urban, agricultural and environmental demands. These demands already exceed the capacity of the existing water management system to supply adequate water—especially in droughts like the one California is now experiencing. Future climate changes are likely to increase the challenges that have already occurred in the 20th century. This Basins Study builds on previous climate impact assessments and addresses both the potential impacts of climate and socioeconomic changes and explores how these challenges might be addressed (see Section 1. Introduction of the Summary Report).

Sacramento River Flood Control Project Weirs and Flood Relief Structures

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | April 8th, 2011

Sacramento Valley has a history of floods and management of floods that goes back as long as people have populated the region. Prior to flood management, the valley floor

Sacramento Valley has a history of floods and management of floods that goes back as long as people have populated the region. Prior to flood management, the valley floor would be blanketed by seasonal runoff nearly every year; the Sacramento Valley was once nicknamed the “inland sea.” This tendency to flood results from the geography of the region as well as the weather. The occasionally large amounts of rain that fall in the surrounding Coastal ranges and the relatively steep Sierra Nevada mountain ranges produce rapid surface water runoff to the Sacramento River. The amount of this surface water runoff can be quite large, depending on the amount of rainfall, snow melt, and soil moisture of the watershed. Fast water flowing from the mountains is blunted by the relatively shallow grade of the Sacramento River south of the city of Red Bluff, and would often overtop the river banks. In addition, The Sacramento River would begin depositing sediment in the more shallow grades that would often alter its direction of flow. In order to control these storm flows that would otherwise flood farmland and cities, the Sacramento River Flood Control Project (the Project) was created. The Project was designed with the understanding that runoff from many of the storm events experienced in the Sacramento River watershed cannot be contained within the banks of the river. Nor could this flow be fully contained within a levee system without periodically flooding adjacent property. Thus, the Project was designed to occasionally spill through a system of weirs and flood relief structures into adjacent basins. These basins are designed to contain flood waters and channel them downstream, to eventually be conveyed back into the Sacramento River near Knights Landing and Rio Vista. Dry weather flows are contained within levees near the river banks and land within the flood basins is then used for agricultural purposes.

Sacramento River Hydrologic Region Groundwater Update

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | April 1st, 2015

The primary goal of the Sacramento River Hydrologic Region (Sacramento River region) groundwater update is to expand information about region-specific groundwater conditi

The primary goal of the Sacramento River Hydrologic Region (Sacramento River region) groundwater update is to expand information about region-specific groundwater conditions for California Water Plan Update 2013 and to guide more informed groundwater management actions and policies. A second goal is to steadily improve the quality of groundwater information in future California Water Plan (CWP) updates to a level that will enable regional water management groups (RWMGs) to accurately evaluate their groundwater resources and implement management strategies that can meet local and regional water resource objectives within the context of broader statewide objectives. The final goal is to identify data gaps and groundwater management challenges that will serve as a guide to prioritizing future data collection and funding opportunities relevant to the region. This regional groundwater update is not intended to provide a comprehensive and detailed examination of local groundwater conditions, or a substitute for local studies and analysis. Nonetheless, where information is readily available, this update does report some aspects of regional groundwater conditions in greater detail.

Sacramento River Temperature Task Group Annual Report of Activities October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | November 21st, 2018

Safe Clean Water Water for Los Angeles County Residents

Los Angeles County Department of Public Works (LACDPW) | November 7th, 2017

We live in a water-scarce area, and forces outside of our control can threaten our local water resources, including lakes, rivers and beaches. LA Count

We live in a water-scarce area, and forces outside of our control can threaten our local water resources, including lakes, rivers and beaches. LA County residents rely heavily on imported water from the Sierra Mountains, the Central Valley and even from states as far away as Colorado. Climate change is causing more and more extreme weather conditions, making these remote sources more unreliable . The impacts of the recent five-year drought were widely felt here. Rainfall is an essential, local source of LA’s water . Rain runs through local rivers, creeks and streams and can be absorbed underground, replenishing groundwater, which is a local source of drinking water. However, because so much of our region is paved over, when we do experience heavy rain, too much of that precious water is lost to the ocean before we can capture it for use. Our local water resources are also threatened by toxins and pollution as stormwater runs through streets and over-paved areas into our rivers, creeks and streams. Pollution flows onto our beaches and into the ocean, posing a public health risk and harming marine life.

Safeguarding California Plan: 2018 Update – California’s Climate Adaptation Strategy

California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) | January 1st, 2018

Globally, California leads in efforts to avoid the worst effects of climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Still, the impacts of climate change a

Globally, California leads in efforts to avoid the worst effects of climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Still, the impacts of climate change are already being felt in California and are disproportionately impacting the state’s most vulnerable populations. The accelerating rate of climate change in this century will likely exceed that experienced by California’s native peoples over past millennia. Already these changes have rendered our state’s 117 years of weather-related record-keeping unreliable as predictors of future events. We know that California’s climate is changing, and responsible institutions must plan for and take action to address current and future climate impacts.

Safeguarding California: Implementation Action Plans

California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) | April 8th, 2016

Science tells us that the Earth’s climate is changing, and human activity is the primary cause of these changes. Climate disruption drives extreme weather events such a

Science tells us that the Earth’s climate is changing, and human activity is the primary cause of these changes. Climate disruption drives extreme weather events such as coastal storm surges, drought, wildfires, floods and heat waves. As Californians are painfully aware, these events can be devastating. It is imperative that we act to reduce the vulnerability and increase the resilience of our residents, communities and natural resources. California released its first comprehensive plan for adapting to climate change in 2009, and updated that strategy with the 2014 report Safeguarding California: Reducing Climate Risk. Since 2009, California has experienced several of the most extreme natural events in its recorded history: severe drought, an almost non-existent Sierra Nevada winter snowpack, five of the top 20 largest forest fires ever recorded in the state in terms of acreage burned, and back-to-back years of the hottest average temperatures. According to the California Climate Tracker, the winter average minimum temperature of 2014-15 for the Sierra Nevada region was 32.1 degrees Fahrenheit, the first time this value was above water’s freezing point in 120 years of record-keeping. As greenhouse gas emissions continue to accumulate and climate disruption grows, such destructive events will become more frequent. The historical record, which once set our expectations for the traditional range of weather and other natural events, is becoming an increasingly unreliable predictor of the conditions we will face in the future. This document details how California will build the resilience of our residents, communities, and ecosystems to the emerging impacts of climate change. The ten implementation plans presented here represent a master blueprint for executing actions recommended in the 2014 report Safeguarding California: Reducing Climate Risk, as called for in Governor Brown’s April 2015 Executive Order (B-30-15).

Safeguarding California: Reducing Climate Risk An update to the 2009 California Climate Adaptation Strategy

California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) | July 31st, 2014

California and the world’s climate are changing, posing an escalated threat to health, well-being, nature, and property. Extreme weather, rising sea levels, shifting sn

California and the world’s climate are changing, posing an escalated threat to health, well-being, nature, and property. Extreme weather, rising sea levels, shifting snowpack, among other impacts will touch every part of peoples’ lives in the next century. Planning key actions now will help us lessen impacts and cope with changes. Many aspects of the environment face historic displacement. In government at every level, we must work together to safeguard our state. And ultimately, each and every one of us needs to take steps to reduce our own impacts and increase our resilience in the future. The Safeguarding California Plan provides policy guidance for state decision makers, and is part of continuing efforts to reduce impacts and prepare for climate risks. This plan, which updates the 2009 California Climate Adaptation Strategy, highlights climate risks in nine sectors in California, discusses progress to date, and makes realistic sector-specific recommendations. California is a leader in the global effort to fight climate change. The state is pursuing a broad, integrated strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build the foundation for a new clean energy economy. While these efforts will reduce the magnitude and impact of climate change, they will not prevent it from occurring. Given the potential impacts and the long-term nature of effective planning, it is only prudent to begin preparing for these impacts. Actions needed to meet these challenges will not be cheap, but will cost far less than taking no action. Every step that we take today helps save valuable resources in the future. To that end, the plan details 11 current efforts already underway. Right now, more extreme fires, storms, and heat waves are costing lives and property damage. State of the art modeling shows that a single extreme winter storm in California could cost on the order of $725 billion – with total direct property losses of nearly $400 billion and devastating impacts to California’s people, economy and natural resources. The health and fiscal consequences are dire. Climate change poses a threat not just to lives and health, but the financial resources of governments and the insurance industry. More broadly – and likely more costly – are rising seas that threaten our coast, while disappearing snowpack in the Sierra Nevada presents new challenges for our state’s water management. In the near term, we must take practical, affordable steps to maintain our water, power, and transportation infrastructure, and plan for longer term actions as well.

Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin Monterey Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency | January 28th, 2022

On September 16, 2014, the California legislature enacted the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) whose primary purpose is to achieve and/or maintain sustainabi

On September 16, 2014, the California legislature enacted the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) whose primary purpose is to achieve and/or maintain sustainability within the state’s high and medium priority groundwater basins. Key tenets of SGMA are the concept of local control, use of best available data and science, and active engagement and consideration of all beneficial uses and users of groundwater. As such, SGMA empowers certain local agencies to form Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) whose purpose is to manage basins sustainably through the development and implementation of Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs). Under SGMA, GSPs are required to contain certain elements, the most significant of which include: a Sustainability Goal; a description of the area covered by the GSP (“Plan Area”); a description of the Basin Setting, including the hydrogeologic conceptual model, historical and current groundwater conditions, and a water budget; locally-defined sustainability criteria; networks and protocols for monitoring sustainability indicators; and a description of projects and/or management actions that will be implemented to achieve or maintain sustainability. SGMA also requires a significant element of stakeholder outreach to ensure that beneficial uses and users of groundwater are given the opportunity to provide input into the GSP development and implementation process. This GSP covers the entire Monterey Subbasin (Department of Water Resources [DWR] Basin 3-004.10), which encompasses 30,850 acres (or 48.2 square miles) in the northwestern Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin in the Central Coast region of California (Figure ES-1). The Monterey Subbasin (Subbasin) has been designated by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) as medium priority. As such, the Subbasin is required to develop a GSP by January 2022 and achieve sustainability by 2042. The GSP has been co-developed by the Marina Coast Water District Groundwater Sustainability Agency (MCWD GSA) and the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (SVBGSA) pursuant to a Framework Agreement. The Framework Agreement outlines the Management Areas to be established within the Subbasin, which are later formalized in this GSP. The Framework Agreement further establishes a basis for information developed by the two agencies to be integrated into a single GSP for the Monterey Subbasin. Plan approved by DWR 4/27/23.