Bay-Delta Office

2021 Consultation on the Coordinated Long-Term Operation of the CVP and SWP

Photo Credit: Ben Nelson

The federal Central Valley Project (CVP) and the State Water Project (SWP) together provide water for over 25 million Californians, millions of acres of some of the most productive farmland in the world, and 19 federal, state, and local wildlife refuges along the Pacific Flyway. The projects reduce the risks of catastrophic flooding, protect and restore habitat for many rare and unique species, supplement local water supplies for communities, produce zero carbon hydroelectric power, backstop water quality in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Delta, and support important commercial and recreational fisheries.

On September 30, 2021, the Bureau of Reclamation and California Department of Water Resources (DWR) requested reinitiation of consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) . FWS and NMFS agreed on October 1. Reinitiation of consultation under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was requested due to anticipated modifications to the Proposed Action that may cause effects to ESA-listed species or designated critical habitat not analyzed in the 2019 FWS and NMFS Biological Opinions.

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.

• Operating Shasta in a New Climate
• 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)
• 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)
• 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)

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