An Overview California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
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Constraints in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Paul A. Marshall, Chief Bay Delta Office March 19, 2015 Adapted from Jaime Anderson, PhD, PE Bay Delta Office Bay-Delta System DSM2 Domain Sacramento Sacramento River Redding Stockton San San Joaquin Francisco River San Francisco 47% of California’s runoff Los Angeles passes through the Delta San Diego 2 Bay-Delta detail image from CALFED Natural State • Series of dendritic “branching” channels • Seasonal wetland – Winter flooded fresh water – Summer shallow channels saline water • Native species adapted to seasonal salinity, flow, and temperature changes 3 1850’s Levee Construction Physical modifications (dredging, levees, pumps, gates, resevoirs, etc) 4 Modern Delta Highly managed – Reservoirs – Gates & barriers – Pumps – Levees 5 Human Influences Commercial shipping: Sacramento and San- Joaquin Deepwater Ship Channels Recreation: fishing, hunting, boating, passive enjoyment 6 Subsidence 7 Land Subsidence: a historical fact Pre-1880’s Present Time Levee Failure 8 Land Subsidence Due to Farming & Peat Soil Oxidation - 25 ft. - 20 ft. - 15 ft. Below Sea Level - 5 ft. -30 -20 -10 -5 ft 9 Physical Processes • Hydrodynamics – Hydraulics: flood flows, tidal action – Sedimentation – Erosion 10 Seismic Risk Bay Delta Region Major Faults 11 Levees have risk of failure during a seismic event • Levees remain susceptible to earthquakes even after PL84-99 improvements are made 12 Agricultural Diversions • Since the 1850’s • Economy • Water Quality 13 1930’s Propaganda for CVP 14 Salinity Intrusion Before and After Managed Upstream Reservoirs Before After (1920 –1943) (1944 –1990) 15 16 Delta Inflow Refresher Sacramento River ~80% Inflow; good quality East Side Rivers ~5% Inflow; good quality Ocean/Tidal High salinity San Joaquin River ~15% Inflow; poor quality 17 Flow of Water for State and Federal Projects 1 Sac River – Delta Cross Channel 3 – Mokelumne River Sac River / – Old & Middle Rivers West Delta 2 San Joaquin River SWP Pumps CVP Pumps 18 Delta Cross Channel Sacramento River DCC Gates Delta Cross Channel 19 Skinner FF Clifton Court Forebay CCF Intake Banks PP Tracy PP Tracy Fish Collection Facility 20 Contra Costa Water District Rock Slough • 550,000 customers Intake • Contra Costa Canal – Rock Slough Intake (350 cfs) • Los Vaqueros Reservoir Old R. Intake – Old River Intake (250 cfs) – 100,000 ac-ft storage – Completed 1997 Los Vaqueros Reservoir 21 Delta Water Use Sacramento Ocean In-Delta Stockton 76% 6% 18% Bay Area Central Valley & Southern Cal 22 South Delta Temporary Barriers Grant Line Canal Middle River Head of Old River Roberts Stockton Jones ● Tract Island Clifton Court Union Island Forebay Fabian Tract Old River at Tracy 23 Sutter Flood Control Bypass and Fish • Sutter Bypass – Tisdale Weir • Yolo Bypass Yolo – 59,000 acres Bypass – Fremont Weir 33.5 ft crest elev. – Vic Fazio Yolo Wildlife Area 24 Winter Run Chinook Salmon 120,000 100,000 80,000 60,000 1989 listed as CA endangered species 40,000 20,000 Passing Red Bluff Diversion Dam Bluff Diversion Red Passing Number of Adult Chinook Salmon Salmon Chinook of Adult Number 0 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 Year 25 Habitat (water, food, spawning) • Fish listed under Endangered Species Act – Chinook Salmon ─Delta Smelt • Protecting listed fish – Take limits at SWP pumps – Reverse Flow controls – Biological opinions restrict other DWR activities 26 27 28 .