Delta
Aerial view of farmland and waterways in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Photo taken September 16, 2009. Paul Hames / California Department of Water Resources

By Natalie Willis, Reporter, Valley Ag Voice 

In December, Governor Gavin Newsom and the Biden-Harris Administration signed off on the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s updated framework for the State Water Project and Central Valley Project, focusing on protecting endangered fish species.  

According to a press release from the Bureau of Reclamation, the new plan for the Long-Term Operation of the Central Valley Project and Delta facilities of the State Water Project includes more predictable actions for endangered fish and a more reliable response to multi-year droughts. This record of decision marks the end of a four-year process to overturn the 2019 biological opinions released under the Trump administration.  

“The completion of new operating rules for the Central Valley Project is the cornerstone of our efforts to address record drought and changing climate conditions in California,” Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton said in the release. “The plan helps build the state’s resilience to drought, both for water users and the environment. It also dovetails with the significant ecosystem investments and infrastructure projects that Reclamation has funded, including new water storage, capacity improvements, groundwater banking, and the development of a drought plan for the south-of-Delta. We are grateful for our partners at the federal, state, and local levels without whom none of our shared accomplishments would have been possible.”  

This decision came after the Bureau’s final Environmental Impact Statement, published in November 2024, which examined various strategies for managing the CVP and SWP. It also reviewed the 2019 Biological Opinions to align with a Biden Administration directive emphasizing science-based environmental protections and ensure CVP operations comply with California’s Endangered Species Act. 

The Record of Decision marks the official adoption of the 2024 Biological Opinions and associated environmental requirements. 

THE NITTY GRITTY 

The Bureau of Reclamation reviewed four alternatives through its decision-making process, ultimately deciding to implement Alternative 2 — Multi-Agency Consensus Proposal — which introduces a new framework for Shasta Reservoir operations to protect cold water supplies during droughts. 

According to the USBR, this alternative reduces mortality rates of winter-run Chinook salmon and aligns the CVP and SWP Delta operations for better coordination. The USBR’s Environmentally Preferred Alternative Rankings place this alternative as “Not Preferrable” for agricultural resources.  

It is, however, the environmentally preferred alternative.  

“The collaboration with the State of California and Sacramento River Settlement Contractors provides the most confidence that adaptive management can reduce conflict and respond to changing climates and species conditions,” the Record of Decision states. “As such, Alternative 2 is most likely to ‘fulfill the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations of Americans.’”  

According to a news release from Governor Newsom’s office, the new framework for both the CVP and SWP protects endangered fish species through habitat restoration, improved flow measures, monitoring, and hatchery production.  

“We know what the future has in store for our state: hotter hots and drier dries. That means we have to do everything we can now to prepare and ensure our water infrastructure can handle these extremes,” Newsom said. “Thanks to the support of the Biden-Harris Administration, California is taking action to make our water systems more resilient and lay the groundwork for new capacity in the future.” 

The federal government’s adoption of this framework follows the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s November approval of an incidental take permit for the State Water Project — issued to the Department of Water Resources — which aims to balance infrastructure operations with the protection of species like delta smelt and Chinook salmon. 

During drought conditions, water deliveries to those with CVP water service and repayment contracts as well as Sacramento River Settlement Contractors will be reduced to increase storage in the Shasta Reservoir.  

“Alternative 2 would reduce deliveries for CVP water service and repayment contracts and Sacramento River Settlement (SRS) Contractors under specific drought conditions to increase storage in Shasta Reservoir. This increased storage would result in higher fall and winter releases in non-drought conditions. Higher fall and winter releases would improve juvenile Chinook salmon survival during migration down the Sacramento River,” the Record of Decision states. “In drier years, Alternative 2 reduces fall and winter releases and reduces survival during migration.” 

PROJECT ALLOCATIONS 

As of Dec. 23, the SWP allocation for 2025 increased to 15%, up from the initial 5% announced on Dec. 2. According to DWR, this increase came after a late November atmospheric river improved Northern California’s water supply conditions. Future adjustments may be made if water supply conditions shift. 

Westlands Water District released a Project Operations Status and Near-Term Forecast on Jan. 2, detailing allocations for north-of-Delta, Delta, and south-of-Delta operations. According to the report, Delta exports increased to 4,200 cfs at Jones Pumping Plant and 1,500 cfs at Banks Pumping Plant following the conclusion of a 14-day delta smelt protective “first flush” action on Jan. 1. 

Currently, the primary constraint on total exports is a reverse flow limit of -5,000 cfs in Old and Middle Rivers, Westlands explained. Thus, the duration of the higher export rates depends more on the San Joaquin River flow rate rather than the Sacramento River flow rate. While the San Joaquin River flow is 1,400 cfs compared to the Sacramento River’s 50,000 cfs, it is sufficient to maintain capacity pumping at Jones and adhere to OMR flow restrictions.  

For south-of-Delta operations, the CVP share of San Luis Reservoir is roughly 521 thousand acre-feet, but December’s refill was 60 thousand acre-feet below projections due to export cuts to protect delta smelt.  

“Consequently, CVP [South Luis Reservoir] may fall short of filling in the spring under median conditions. Demands, hydrologic conditions, and sporadic fish-protective export cuts will all have an effect on the CVP SLR fill rate during the next several months,” Westlands explained. 

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