California WaterFix Update
 Issue 4, November 23, 2016
 
Drought - Preparing for the Future
                        
  Oroville Reservoir courtesy of DWR    
Learn about drought tolerant landscaping here.
  
   
Over the last several years California has experienced historic drought conditions.

Southern California was better prepared for the drought than some parts of the state because of Metropolitan's significant investments to capture water in wet periods for use in dry years. Those investments include building the Inland Feeder system that moves storm water from Northern California into storage, promoting water conservation and developing new local water supplies including recycling and groundwater cleanup. In 1999, Metropolitan also finished construction of the region's largest reservoir, Diamond Valley Lake, which nearly doubled the region's storage capacity and became a linchpin for Southern California's resiliency and adaptation during this most-recent drought.

Nearly all of the water stored in Diamond Valley Lake originates in the Sierras and makes the journey through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the California Aqueduct. The proposed CA WaterFix project would help Southern California manage through future droughts and climate change impacts by modernizing the Delta conveyance system and improving the ability to capture water in wet periods for drought reserves and annual use.

View a short video about California WaterFix here.
 Progress in Delta Restoration - The Wallace Weir Project

Wallace Weir, site of CA EcoRestore fish rescue project in the Yolo Bypass
  
On October 13, Metropolitan Chairman Randy Record and several directors were on hand to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Wallace Weir Fish Rescue Project in the Yolo Bypass area of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
  
The Yolo Bypass is a floodplain that protects Sacramento and other communities along the Sacramento River. The bypass is also used for farming, recreation and is the site for current and proposed habitat restoration projects through the  California EcoRestore program.
  
Endangered salmon can become stranded in the northern bypass because there is no physical passage between the bypass and the Sacramento River in most months. The Wallace Weir project is funded by Metropolitan Water District and other State Water Project contractors. It will help wildlife agencies capture and return migrating salmon and sturgeon to their native spawning grounds by replacing the weir's current seasonal earthen dam with a permanent, operable structure.
  
The groundbreaking for Wallace Weir Fish Rescue project is exciting news. It's an example of how local, state and federal agencies, with the financial support of Metropolitan and other water agencies, are making real progress to restore the Delta ecosystem and help support improvements in overall water supply reliability for the state.
Read the previous California WaterFix Update here.
For more information

 
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Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
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