Refuge Water Supply Progr

U. S. Bureau of Reclamation

U. S. Fish and Wildlife Servi

In cooperation with California Department oGame and Grassland Resource Conservation 

M
Refuge Water Supply Progr

Managers and Specialist

Dale Garrison, USFWS Dan Meier, Reclamation 

Refuge Water Supply Coordinator Fish and Wildlife Program Neal Niven, Reclamation Sonya Nechanicky, ReclaConstruction Project Manager Refuge Water Supply ProMona Jefferies-Soniea, Reclamation Pam Hodapp, ReclamatioConstruction Project Manager Assistant Fish and Wildlif

Georgina Gregory, ReclamationWater Acquisition Program Specialist
Refuge Water Supply ProgramCVPIA 3406 (d)

Provide firm water supplies of suitable qual

maintain and improve wetland habitat areas certain Central Valley wildlife refuges 
Refuge Water Supply Program CVPIA Workplans

Water Acquisition ProgramCVPIA Sections 3406 (b)(3), (d)(2) and (g)Conveyance ProgramCVPIA Sections 3406 (d)(1), (2) and (5)San Joaquin Basin Action Plan Refuge Facilities CCVPIA Section 3406 (d)(5)Refuge Water Supply Facilities Construction ProgrCVPIA Section 3406 (d)(5)

jj

Level 2

Incremental 

Level 4

TotalLevel

4
2005 Program Budgets• Water Acquisition 

(Incremental Level 4) - $10.4 Million

• Conveyance (Level 4) - $7.8 Million• Facilities Construction -$10.5 Million

– SJBAP (East Bear)– Other Refuges (Gray Lodge, Pixley

& Mendota)

Total $28.7 Million
• Reclamation and USFWS • Interagency Refuge Water 

Management Team (IRWMT)

– Includes CDFG and Grassland RCD– Annual refuge water allocations– Monthly delivery schedules– Water management plans

• Central Valley Joint Venture Water Committee

Interagency Participants
Water Acquisition Progra

(Refuge Water Supply)
Water Acquisition ProgramGoals and Objectives

• Provide supplemental water supplies (Increm

Level 4) for refuges for critical wetland habitsupporting resident and migratory waterfowl

• Acquire and manage instream flows for VAM• Acquire instream flows to improve fish habita

support of AFRP
Incremental Level 4 

Requirements 

27,750 (12,650)*

SacramentoValley

145,293 (116,062)

Estimated WaterTo be Acquired (assumes 10% losses)Totals 130,764 (104,456

103,014 (91,806)*

San JoaquinValley

Incremental

Level 4 Requireme

Refuges

*Maximum deliveries under current conveyance constraints
Incremental Level 4 Acquisitions 

1994 - 2004

2002 91,690 100 130,764 

1993

0 10 13,076

1994 30,356 20 26,153 

1995 88,009 30 39,229 

1996 36,395 40 52,306 

1997 69,800 50 65,382 

6,300 60 78,458

2 1998

1999 49,918 70 91,535 

2000 74,048 80 104,611 

2001 69,305 90 117,688 2003 76,300 100 130,764 2004 74,010 100 130,764 

In

A

Su

CVPIA

Required

Incremental

Level 4

Deliveries

(acre-feet)

CVPIA 

Required

Incremental

Level 4

Deliveries

(% of 130,764)

Incremental 

Level 4 

Acquisitions 

(acre-feet)

Water Year

( Mar-Feb)

26,300 AF long-term water acquired in 1998.
Water Acquisition Program Accomplishments 2005• To date, nine agreements are in 

process to acquire approximately 49,000 AF

• Currently, negotiating 

additional agreements to provide 23,000 AF
Water Acquisition Program - Key Incremental Level 4 Constraints• Inadequate Funding• Price of Water• Water Quality• Pumping Capacity• Storage • Conveyance Infrastructure
Refuge Conveyance
Conveyance Program

Objective

• Provide long-term, firm and reliable water d

to certain Federal, State and private wildlife in the Central Valley
Cooperative ConveyanceAgreements

• Cooperative Agreements

– Contracts with local 

and State entities to deliver water

– Pay per AF water 

wheeled

– Nine long-term –

complete

– Three new out-year 

agreements for Sutter, Pixley, and Mendota
Conveyance ProgramAccomplishments 2004

• Approximately 385,000 AF of 

Level 2 and 74,000 AF of 

Incremental Level 4 were conveyed 
Conveyance ProgramAccomplishments 2005

• Approximately 425,000 AF of Level 2 and 72,000 AF of Level 4 to be conveyed • Executed long-term conveyance agreement with DWR
• Conduct water quality monitoring studies• Completion and implementation of Refuge D

Program 

Conveyance Program Future Activities
Facilities Construction fo

Refuge Water Supply
Facilities ConstructionProgramGoals and Objectives• Provides infrastructure to support water deli

to Federal and State Wildlife Refuges in the Central Valley of California 

• Refuges are Gray Lodge, Sacramento, Delev

Colusa, Sutter, Kern, Pixley and Mendota

Facilities Construction

Program - Accomplishments

• West Sacramento Valley

– Sacramento, Delevan and Sutter -GCID facilities 

improvements-complete

• East Sacramento Valley

– Environmental Compliance - complete– Gray Lodge -Biggs West Gridley – implementation 

• Mendota

– Environmental Compliance on-going

• South San Joaquin

– Pixley -Delano-Earlimart ID facilities with improv

implementation pending

– Kern NWR complete
Facilities Construction 

Schedules and Costs

Mendota 2010

3

Sutter 2012

7

Pixley 2009 11

Gray Lodge 2006/2007

5

Constru

Cost

(Million

Projected

Completion

Date

Refuge
Kern Facilities Complete

• Cross Channel• West side Channel
Cross Channel Creek Cross Channe

Pre-Construction Post-Constr
Westside Channel Westside Ch

Pre-Construction Post-Const
San Joaquin Basin 

Action Plan
SJBAP Facilities Construction Program Objectives• Planning, design and construction of convey

facilities

• Includes North Grasslands, San Luis, Volta, 

Los Banos, and Grassland RCD

SJBAP Facilities Construction• Kesterson Mitigation• SJBAP Began in 1987• SJABP Incorporated 

in CVPIA
SJBAP Facilities Construction AccomplishmentsFacilities Modifications• San Luis Canal Company • Grassland Water District• Central California 

Irrigation District

• Reclamation Facilities
San Joaquin Basin Action P
East Bear Creek Refuge
SJBAP Facilities ConstructionAccomplishments 2005East Bear Creek Unit• Complete Final Design • Out to Bid• $7.5 Million
SJBAP Facilities ConstructionFuture Activities• East Bear Unit 

Construction

• Construction of Orleans 

Canal
CVPIA Refuge Biological Benef

• Year-around water supplies • Maintenance flows

• Brood Habitat• Late Summer/Early Fall Habitat• Riparian Habitat• Food Crop Irrigations

• Reliable water supplies year to year • Accurate Habitat Management Evaluations

• Long-Term Management Planning

• Water for on-refuge restoration projec

• Increased hunting opportunities• Increase in diversity of wildlife species use
Biological Benefits-Pixley NWR

3⁄4 Since CVPIA, a 

dramatic increase in sandhill crane use at Pixley NWR:

• 200 in 1992• 2,000 in 1993• 5,100 in 2001
Biological Benefits – Grassland RC

Swamp Timothy Irrigations - An increase in yearly irrigacreage.

1991-1992 : 4,000 acres 1993-today: 26,000 acres
Biological Benefits – Grassland RC

• An increase of 3,000 acres 

of early fall habitat :

• Shorebird increases 

of 49% from 1992 to 1993

• Increase in midSeptember 

waterfowl numbers by over 300%
Biological Benefits – San Luis NW

Complex

• Establishment of 

active great blue heron and egret rookeries along the San Joaquin River
Biological Benefits – San Lu

NWR Complex

• Increase in habitat available for species such as the 

western pond turtle and the giant garter snake
A reduction in avian disease –

Cholera outbreaks in 1991 and 1992Only one serious outbreak since (1998)

Biological Benefits –Sacramento NWR Complex
Biological Benefits – Sacrame

NWR Complex

Spring and summer water provided by CVPIA improwaterfowl brood health
The Return of the White-faced I
• Kern NWR 

– An increase from 50 birds in 1993 to 17,000 in 200

• Sutter NWR

– An increase from 100 birds documented in 1991 to 

in 2000, 7,000 in 2001, and 15,000 in 2002
Water Acquisition Program

Instream Flows

• Acquire and manage instream flows fo

VAMP

• Acquire instream flows to improve fis

habitat in support of AFRP
Water Provided for VAMP/SJRA 

Water Acquisition Program

1Escalated annually each January to reflect the CPI-U index. Cost for 2005 was $4,529,483.60. S

s

h

are

$1.334M each year.

Fall flows acq

Merced ID pthe San JoaAgreement. 

San Joaquin River Group 12,500 $60 - $70

Authority 

Difference w

from Oakdato the San JAgreement. 

San Joaquin River Group 11,000 $60 - $70

Authority 

Water acquir

Oakdale ID the San JoaAgreement. 

San Joaquin River Group 15,000 $60 - $70

Authority 

Compensatio

providing thflow pursuaJoaquin RivAgreement. 

$4,500,0001 San Joaquin River Group up to 110,000

Authority 

CONTRACT PRICE (per af) REMA

QTY (af)

CONTRACTING ENTITY
QUESTIONS?