The Rebirth of California Fish & Game Code Section 5937: Water for Fish

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | July 1st, 2012

Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so wh

Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. In an average year, California receives inflows and imports of water totaling around 200 million acre-feet,2 enough water to cover the entire state twenty-three inches deep. But California is a state of spatial and temporal water extremes. Spatially, precipitation varies wildly: Death Valley in the Southeast averages less than three inches per year, yet the northwestern corner of the state averages over 140 inches per year. More than 70% of California’s stream flow originates north of Sacramento, but more than 80% of the water is used south of Sacramento. Temporally, precipitation varies both seasonally and annually. California’s wet season typically runs from October or November to April or May, with little or no precipitation during the growing season, from May to September.7 Annual rainfalls of 40% or more below average and 36% or more above average each typically occur once every six to seven years.  To balance these extremes, over 1,300 dams store water across the state, supplying water for urban, industrial, and agricultural uses. While these uses sustain a tremendous part of California’s economy, they also come at high, often unappreciated costs. Fish also need water, so dams that alter water flows for human benefits may also have marked negative impacts on fish.

The San Francisco Bay-Delta Agreement: Principles for Agreement on Bay-Delta Standards Between the State of California and the Federal Government

California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | December 15th, 1994

The Status of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the Stanislaus River Summary report of 2015 snorkel surveys

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | August 1st, 2016

The Use of Smolt Survival Estimates to Quantify the Effects of Habitat Changes on Salmonid Stocks in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Rivers, California

Canada Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) | July 1st, 1989

Total Water Management Study for the Central Valley Basin, California, Central Valley Project Intermittent Surface Water Supply, Working Document No. 6

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) | April 1st, 1975

Toward a Preemptive Ecology for Rapid, Global, and Increasingly Irreversible Environmental Change: A Discussion Paper with Implications for Research and Management in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | November 15th, 2019

People have extensively modified the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta since the 1850s. Rapid change is not new, but the nature of rapid change that is beginning to be experie

People have extensively modified the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta since the 1850s. Rapid change is not new, but the nature of rapid change that is beginning to be experienced has new qualities. The Delta Independent Science Board, working in conjunction with the Delta Science Program and the Delta Plan Interagency Implementation Committee, is assessing the adequacy of environmental and ecological research in the Delta, how well that research is addressing emerging challenges, and how it might be improved. This paper is a part of that process. Each member of the Delta Independent Science Board has contributed to this document, but there is not a consensus among the members around the full content of this paper. This paper is written to inform and stimulate discussion around controversial yet important issues. 

Tracking Where Water Goes in a Changing Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta

Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) | May 26th, 2022

Click here for the accompanying Technical Appendix.

Click here for the accompanying Technical Appendix.

Truckee River Operating Agreement

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) | September 6th, 2008

Click here for USBR home page for the agreement and related documents.

Click here for USBR home page for the agreement and related documents.

U.S.-Mexican Water Sharing: Background and Recent Developments

Congressional Research Service (CRS) | March 2nd, 2017

The United States and Mexico share the waters of the Colorado River and Rio Grande pursuant to binational agreements. Increasing water demands and reduced supplies derivi

The United States and Mexico share the waters of the Colorado River and Rio Grande pursuant to binational agreements. Increasing water demands and reduced supplies deriving from drought and air temperatures increase the challenges and significance of reliable water sharing. The International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) is charged with addressing issues that arise during application of binational water treaties. The IBWC is a binational entity with a U.S. Section that operates under foreign policy guidance from the U.S. Department of State. Under the binational 1944 Water Treaty, disputes and new developments can be resolved through agreed-upon interpretations of the treaty, called minutes. Mexican-U.S. relations generally grew closer during the George W. Bush and Obama Administrations. Water sharing was addressed through IBWC technical meetings and bilateral talks between government officials; these meetings and talks were the primary forum for addressing treaty compliance and frustrations of water users in Texas with Mexico’s water delivery regime. Treaty minutes were used to enhance bilateral cooperation and provide flexibility in how treaty compliance was accomplished. It remains uncertain what principles will guide and what mechanisms will be used during the Trump Administration to address water conflicts and what role enhanced cooperation (e.g., measures similar to recent binational efforts in the Colorado River basin) may play in U.S.-Mexican water sharing.

Upper Division States Alternative for Post-2026 Operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead

Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR) | March 5th, 2024