Trump Administration Advances Plan to Increase San Luis Reservoir Storage

The following news release was originally issued by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority (Water Authority). The Byron-Bethany Irrigation District is a member agency of the Water Authority.

san luis reservoir and b f sisk damSACRAMENTO, Calif. – Today, the Bureau of Reclamation sent Congress the final feasibility report for the B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Project. This marks an important step forward in returning water supply reliability to south-of-Delta farmers, local communities, and wildlife refuges.

“Reclamation has worked hard to make this important project for California’s water supply a reality,” said Commissioner Brenda Burman. “Dam safety improvements at B.F. Sisk are gearing up; now is the time to take advantage of this opportunity and increase water supply in San Luis Reservoir—a win-win for the many that benefit from San Luis Reservoir water.”

Reclamation and the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority partnered to investigate adding 10-feet to the crest of B.F. Sisk Dam while implementing dam safety modifications. The additional space would be used to store water that could be delivered to south-of-Delta water contractors and wildlife refuges. This water would be used to meet existing contractual obligations and not serve any new demands.

The B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Feasibility Report was prepared consistent with pertinent study authorizations, and pursuant to the requirements of Reclamation Safety of Dams Act of 1978, as amended by Public Law 114-113, and the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act of 2016. Results of the analyses indicate the project to be technically, environmentally, financially and economically feasible.

“While there is still work to be done,” said Regional Director Ernest Conant, “Reclamation and our partner, the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, are very pleased to witness this critical milestone for the project.”

“San Luis Reservoir plays an important role as a lynchpin of California’s water system. The reservoir’s water storage capacity is increasingly important to respond to a changing climate. Increasing water storage is a critical component of building water resilience,” said Executive Director of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority Federico Barajas. “We appreciate the collaborative partnership with Reclamation and are pleased to see the Feasibility Report be transmitted to Congress and look forward to advancing this important project.”

Background
B.F. Sisk Dam is a 382-foot high earthfill embankment located on the west side of the Central Valley, about 12 miles west of Los Banos. The dam is over 3 miles long and impounds San Luis Reservoir, which has a current total capacity of around 2 million acre-feet.

A final supplemental environmental impact statement was prepared for the project under the National Environmental Policy Act and released on Dec. 18, 2020; the report is available here: https://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_project_details.php?Project_ID=44425.

San Luis Reservoir Storage Sinks to “Shameful” 25-Year Low

Los Banos, CA (August 5, 2016) – The San Luis Reservoir has fallen to just 10% capacity, its lowest level in 25 years.

“These pictures speak volumes about the gross mismanagement of the Central Valley Project ,” said Byron- Bethany Irrigation District (BBID) General Manager Rick Gilmore. “We simply cannot continue to prioritize failing environmental policies over the survival of agriculture.”

Despite above-average rainfall this year, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced in April a 5%  allocation for south-of-Delta Central Valley Project (CVP) contractors, a harsh blow for farmers in BBID’s CVP service area near Tracy. The CVP was started in the 1930s to transport water from reservoirs in Northern California to the Central Valley, largely for agricultural use. However, before this year’s 5% allocation, farmers in BBID’s CVP service area were hit with a zero-percent CVP supply for three straight years. While Shasta Lake sits three-quarters full, San Luis Reservoir, where water from Northern California is stored, is dwindling.

“The broken state of San Luis Reservoir reflects the broader reality that the CVP, as a water supply project, has been broken by the policy choices of the Federal government,” said Jason Peltier, executive director of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority.

“The unending practice of taking water from human use and giving it to fish in hopes of helping the fish is a failed enterprise,” Peltier added. “The fish are not responding at all. At the same time human, social and economic destruction continues to accelerate. Shameful.”

Northern California Water Districts Gather to Celebrate Success of Emergency Water Project

Byron, CA (August 25, 2015) – On August 25, 2015, nearly 100 employees, board members and neighbors gathered at Byron-Bethany Irrigation District to honor the heroic measures taken by the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority several weeks ago when the organization literally changed the direction of the Delta-Mendota Canal for the first time in history. The emergency “Pump Back Program” was a desperate drought project – the first of its kind designed to keep six area water districts from going dry.

“Our team accomplished the impossible,” says Frances Mizuno, Assistant Executive Director of San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority, which operates the canal. “Moving water in the opposite direction while facing daunting time constraints was nothing short of amazing. This team is to be applauded for their tenacity and hard work.”

The $700,000 project was led by Engineering Director Bob Martin and involved the installation of several massive pumps in three locations over a six-week period between May and July. The project allowed canal water to be lifted 18 feet along 62 miles from the San Luis Reservoir to the City of Tracy. The result was more than 80,000 acre-feet of banked water in the San Luis Reservoir to get the water agencies through the summer. The districts include the Del Puerto Water District, the West Stanislaus Irrigation District, the Patterson Irrigation District, the Banta-Carbona Irrigation District, Byron-Bethany Irrigation District and the City of Tracy.

“This quick thinking and unconventional solution brought a real success story in our region during an otherwise extremely dire period,” says Rick Gilmore, General Manager of Byron-Bethany Irrigation District. “Recent actions by the State Water Board have meant that we simply do not have the water we need to meet the needs of our customers. We are grateful to the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority for providing our farmers and ranchers with a lifeline.”