Bay-Delta Office

Long-Term Operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project

Photo Credit: Ben Nelson

The federal Central Valley Project (CVP) and the State Water Project (SWP) together provide water for more than 25 million Californians, millions of acres of some of the most productive farmland in the world. Water released from CVP reservoirs supports 19 federal, state and local wildlife refuges along the Pacific Flyway. The CVP and SWP provide flood management, protect and restore habitat for threatened and endangered species, supplement water supplies for local communities, produce clean and renewable hydroelectric power, backstop water quality in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Delta and support important commercial and recreational fisheries.

On Sept. 30, 2021, Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources requested reinitiation of consultation on the Long-Term Operation of the CVP and SWP. with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service due to anticipated modifications to the proposed action that may cause effects to ESA-listed species and/or designated critical habitat not analyzed in the 2019 biological opinions.

On Feb. 28, 2022, a Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Long-Term Operation of the CVP and SWP was published in the Federal Register, followed by a series of public scoping meetings.

On July 26, 2024, Reclamation released the public draft EIS for the Long-Term Operation of the CVP and SWP. The public draft EIS evaluates four alternatives and a no action alternative. The alternatives cover CVP service areas and the operation of CVP dams, power plants, diversions, canals, gates and related federal facilities located on the Clear Creek watershed of the Trinity River Division, the Sacramento, American, Stanislaus, and San Joaquin rivers, and CVP and SWP facilities in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Suisun Marsh.

Public Review and Comment Period: July 26, 2024 – September 9, 2024

Where to Review: The public draft EIS is available for public review via the following ways:

Project Website: https://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_project_details.php?Project_ID=54661

In-Person: The public can access the public draft EIS in a digital format at the following libraries:

City	Address	Phone
Chico, CA 95926	Butte County Library – 11008 Sherman Aveenue	(530) 552-5652
Brentwood, CA 94513	Contra Costa County Library - 104 Oak Street	(925) 516-5290
Fresno, CA 93721	Fresno County Library – 2420 Mariposa Street	(559) 600-7323
Los Banos, CA 93635	Merced County Library – 1312 Seventh Street	(209) 826-5254
Sacramento, CA 95814	Sacramento County Library – 828 I St.	(916) 264-2965
Stockton, CA 95202	San Joaquin County - 605 N. El Dorado St.	(209) 937-8362
Fairfield, CA 94533	Solano County Library – 1150 Kentucky Street	(866) 572-7587
Red Bluff, CA 96080	Tehama County Library – 545 Diamond Avenue	(530) 527-0604
Weaverville, CA 96093	Trinity County Library – 351 Main Street	(530) 623-1373
Woodland, CA 95695	Yolo County Library – 226 Buckeye Street	(530) 666-8005

How to Comment: To submit comments on the Public Draft EIS:

• Written: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Attention Bay-Delta-Office, 801 I Street, Suite 140, Sacramento, CA 95814
• Email: sha-MPR-BDO@usbr.gov
• At a public meeting (see below)

Six public meetings will be held to receive input on the public draft EIS.

Public Meeting Dates and Locations:

Type	Meeting Location	Date and Time
In Person	Los Banos Community Center Grand Room, 645 7th Street, Los Banos	Wednesday, August 7, 6-8 p.m.
In Person	Redding Veteran’s Memorial Hall, 1605 Yuba Street, Redding	Tuesday, August 13, 6-8 p.m.
Virtual	https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84327628004?pwd=JEzvJoNabgizXUBrNuaIrAEEM5bei0.1 Passcode: 200998	Thursday, August 15, 12-2 p.m
In Person	Sacramento Capitol Event Center at M.A.Y. Building, 1020 11th Street, Sacramento	Tuesday, August 20, 6-8 p.m
Virtual	https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84457244759?pwd=miKg8Q1cQtUKa4TKzvTi2bVnL0AuCU.1 Passcode: 389379	Thursday, August 22, 6-8 p.m
Virtual	https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88957967168?pwd=b4OHUMgnxMag1aQiTmnntg2uDFvPv8.1 Passcode: 711555	Thursday, September 5, 3-5 p.m

Shasta StoryMap Chapter 1 - Operating Shasta in a New Climate: As the Bureau of Reclamation reinitiates of consultation on the long-term operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project under the Endangered Species Act, this multimedia presentation explains the amazing degree of complexity and challenges facing planners as they ponder the operation of Shasta Reservoir in a new paradigm.

Shasta StoryMap Chapter 2 - Applied Science and Analysis of Alternatives: Chapter 2 of the Shasta StoryMap delves into the extensive and multitiered modeling tools used to help planners envision scenarios and propose operations alternatives designed to achieve water supply reliability in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Shasta StoryMap Chapter 3 - Shasta and the long-term operation plan for the Central Valley Project: Achieving durability and equanimity for multiple needs. As Reclamation issues its draft environmental impact statement for the long-term operation of the CVP and SWP, this chapter looks at the incorporation of climate change conditions into the plan for operation and the efforts to protect winter-run Chinook salmon.

The Initial Alternatives Report (Sept. 2022) documents the analysis of options to inform alternative formulation for the proposed Long-Term Operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project. Initial alternatives were developed through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) scoping process, coordination under the Water Infrastructure Improvement for the Nation (WIIN) Act, interagency coordination teams, outreach to interested parties, and Reclamation’s decades of experience in operating the CVP.

• Long-Term Operation, Initial Alternative (PDF - 1.3 MB)
• Appendix A – Facility Descriptions (PDF - 2.5 MB)
• Appendix B – Seasonal Water Operations and Ecosystem Analyses (PDF - 2.7 MB)
• Appendix C – Species Spatial-Temporal Domains (PDF - 3.8 MB)
• Appendix D – Seasonal Operation Stressors on Aquatic Species (PDF - 2.2 MB)
• Appendix E – Exploratory Modeling (PDF - 5.3 MB)
• Appendix F – Potential Common Components (PDF - 2.5 MB)
• Appendix G – Specific Facility and Water Operations Deconstruction (PDF - 402 KB)
• Appendix H – Conservation Measure Deconstruction (PDF - 1.7 MB)
• Appendix I – Old and Middle River Flow Management (PDF - 28 MB)
• Appendix J – Spring Pulses and Delta Outflow - Smelt, Chinook Salmon, and Steelhead Migration and Survival (PDF - 1.1 MB)
• Appendix K – Summer and Fall Delta Outflow and Habitat (PDF - 2.7 MB)
• Appendix L – Shasta Coldwater Pool Management (PDF - 9.7 MB)
• Appendix M – Folsom Reservoir Flow and Temperature Management (PDF - 2.9 MB)
• Appendix N – New Melones Stepped Release Plan (PDF - 483 KB)
• Appendix O – Tributary Habitat Restoration (PDF - 548)
• Appendix P – Delta Habitat Restoration (PDF - 1.6 MB)
• Appendix Q – Georgiana Slough Barrier Non-Physical Barrier (PDF - 410 KB)
• Appendix R – Head of Old River Barrier (PDF - 3 MB)
• Appendix S – Governance Under Development for the Draft EIS (PDF - 101 KB)
• Appendix T – Drought Under Development for the Draft EIS (PDF - 151 KB)
• Appendix U – Monitoring Under Development for the Draft EIS (PDF - 151 KB)
• Appendix V – Screened Scoping Comments (PDF- 833 KB)
This report documents the scoping activities that occurred for the 2021 Reinitiation of Endangered Species Act (ESA) Section 7 Consultation on the Long-Term Operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project.
• Public Scoping Report: 2021 Reinitiation of Endangered Species Act Section 7 Consultation on the Long-Term Operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project (PDF - 374 KB)
• Attachment A: Scoping Meeting Notification (PDF - 348 MB)
• Attachment B: Scoping Meeting Materials (PDF - 2.4 MB)
• Attachment C: Scoping Comments (PDF - 22 MB)
These letters document Reclamation’s request for reiniation of Section 7 consultation on the Long-Term Operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project and the Services responses
• Reinitiation Letter, September 30, 2021 (PDF - 170 KB)
• FWS Response Letter, October 1, 2021 (PDF - 165 KB)
• NMFS Response Letter, October 1, 2021 (PDF - 149 KB)

Note: documents in Portable Document Format (PDF) require Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher to view download Adobe Acrobat Reader.