Central Valley Project Improvement Act | Mid-Pacific Region

Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA)

In one of its last actions of the session, the 102nd Congress passed multipurpose water legislation which was signed into law October 30, 1992. Previously referred to as H.R. 429, Public Law 102-575 contains 40 separate titles providing for water resource project throughout the West. Title 34, the Central Valley Project Improvement Act, mandates changes in management of the Central Valley Project, particularly for the protection, restoration, and enhancement of fish and wildlife.

Ten major areas of change include: 800,000 acre-feet of water dedicated to fish and wildlife annually; tiered water pricing applicable to new and renewed contracts; water transfers provision, including sale of water to users outside the CVP service area; special efforts to restore anadromous fish population by 2002; restoration fund financed by water and power users for habitat restoration and enhancement and water and land acquisitions; no new water contracts until fish and wildlife goals achieve; no contract renewals until completion of a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement; terms of contracts reduced from 40 to 25 years with renewal at the discretion of the Secretary of the Interior; installation of the temperature control device at Shasta Dam; implementation of fish passage measures at Red Bluff Diversion Dam; firm water supplies for Central Valley wildlife refuges; and development of a plan to increase CVP yield.