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| Central Valley Project Operations (CVPO) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Central Valley Project Operations (CVPO) |
| Location | Central Valley, California, United States |
| Agency | United States Bureau of Reclamation |
| Established | 1930s |
| Primary | Irrigation, Municipal water supply, Flood control, Hydropower |
| Reservoirs | Shasta Lake, Trinity Lake, Folsom Lake, New Melones Lake, Oroville Reservoir |
| Rivers | Sacramento River, San Joaquin River, Trinity River |
| Coordinates | 36°46′N 119°42′W |
Central Valley Project Operations (CVPO) is the operational regime and management system for the Central Valley Project water storage, conveyance, and power facilities in California's Central Valley administered principally by the United States Bureau of Reclamation. CVPO governs reservoir releases, pumping, and hydropower generation that support irrigation in the San Joaquin Valley, municipal supplies for the City of Sacramento and City of San Francisco bay-area contractors, and ecosystem flows for the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta and associated estuarine systems.
CVPO integrates operations across major reservoirs such as Shasta Dam, Oroville Dam, Folsom Dam, and New Melones Dam with conveyance works including the California Aqueduct and the Delta-Mendota Canal. It balances competing demands from agricultural districts like Westlands Water District and Tulare Lake Basin contractors, urban wholesalers such as East Bay Municipal Utility District and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and fishery agencies including the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the National Marine Fisheries Service. Operational decisions are informed by hydrologic forecasting from the National Weather Service and regulation under statutes such as the Central Valley Project Improvement Act.
Development of the Central Valley storage and conveyance system began with authorization of the Central Valley Project in the 1930s and massive construction during the New Deal and wartime eras, involving projects like Shasta Dam and Friant Dam. Postwar expansions added facilities and interties with the State Water Project and elements of the California Water Plan. Landmark policy shifts occurred with the passage of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act in 1992 and subsequent biological opinions by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service addressing Delta smelt and Chinook salmon protections. Litigation involving parties such as Natural Resources Defense Council and Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations helped shape modern operational constraints.
CVPO reallocates storage and conveyance capacity among agricultural contractors, municipal wholesalers, and environmental water accounts like the Central Valley Project Improvement Act's restoration fund. Water allocation is determined annually based on hydrologic classification, with drought operating plans coordinated with the California Department of Water Resources and federal emergency authorities including Federal Emergency Management Agency. Transfers and water markets involve entities such as Semitropic Water Storage District and Friant Water Authority, while cross-valley pumping affects operations at the Jones Pumping Plant and Clifton Court Forebay.
Key CVPO infrastructure includes Shasta Lake and Shasta Dam, Trinity River Division facilities, Folsom Lake and Folsom Dam, the Delta Cross Channel, and major pumping plants at Banks Pumping Plant and C.W. "Bill" Jones Pumping Plant. Hydroelectric plants at Keswick Dam, Oroville Powerplant, and New Melones Powerplant integrate with regional grids operated by entities like the California Independent System Operator. Conveyance interties with the California Aqueduct and Delta-Mendota Canal enable south-of-Delta deliveries and exchanges with State Water Project contractors.
Operational control centers coordinate real-time releases, reservoir regulation, and power dispatch using models maintained by United States Geological Survey and forecasting from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. CVPO implements seasonal and sub-seasonal reservoir rule curves tied to flood control criteria from the Army Corps of Engineers and water year types defined by the California Department of Water Resources. Stakeholder engagement involves the Central Valley Project Water Association, tribal governments such as the Shasta Indian Nation, and municipal agencies through formal consultation processes under the Endangered Species Act.
CVPO operations have substantially affected anadromous fish runs like Central Valley Chinook salmon and smelt species including Delta smelt, prompting mitigation measures such as cold-water pool management in Shasta Lake, managed flows for Yuba River and Tuolumne River restorations, and acquisition of water for environmental use by organizations like the California Waterfowl Association. Habitat restoration projects occur in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, Cosumnes River Preserve, and Suisun Marsh. Monitoring and adaptive management involve agencies including California State Water Resources Control Board and federal resource agencies under various biological opinion frameworks.
CVPO operates under statutes and agreements including the Reclamation Act of 1902, Central Valley Project Improvement Act, and the Endangered Species Act, and is constrained by water rights adjudications such as the Merced River adjudication and regulatory decisions by the State Water Resources Control Board. Federal consultations on species protections have produced biological opinions and reasonable and prudent alternatives through the National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Interagency compacts and agreements with the California Department of Water Resources, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and local irrigation districts formalize allocation and exchange arrangements.
CVPO underpins agricultural economies in counties such as Fresno County, Kern County, and Tulare County, supporting crops marketed through institutions like the Port of Oakland and commodity systems associated with California Raisin Marketing Board. Urban suppliers and industrial users in Los Angeles County and San Francisco County rely on CVPO deliveries negotiated with wholesale districts. Social impacts involve rural communities, labor forces represented by unions like the United Farm Workers, and indigenous communities with riverine cultural ties, whose interests have influenced litigation and policy through groups such as the California Indian Legal Services.
Category:Water management in California