Water Supply
To turn Webb Tract and Bacon Island into Reservoir Islands, their levees will be strengthened, existing agricultural diversions will be removed, new pumps and siphons will be added, and state-of-the-art fish-screens will be installed. The Reservoir Islands will provide 215,000 acre feet of water storage. During wet months – when water is available after environmental regulations and senior water rights are satisfied – the two reservoirs will be filled by gravity through the new screened siphons with an average capacity of 2,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). Subject to availability of surplus flows, the reservoirs can completely fill in one month. The reservoirs will be pumped out at a rate up to 2,000 cfs per island, and can be emptied in one month.
Webb Tract & Bacon Island become Reservoir Islands.
Place of use
Water supply is delivered from the Reservoir Islands for municipal, agricultural, and environmental beneficial uses. The south-of-Delta water users identified for the project include Golden State Water Company, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Semitropic Water Storage District, and Western Municipal Water District of Riverside County. In addition, project water can also be used for environmental purposes within the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Groundwater storage
During wetter years, project water can be stored in existing underground water banks south of the Delta. Then in dry years, it can be delivered where it is needed. The groundwater banks at Semitropic Water Storage District, the state’s most experienced water banking operation, and Antelope Valley Water Bank, which is south of the Tehachapi Mountains, have been identified as storage facilities for the project.
Groundwater storage at Semitropic and Antelope Valley.
Habitat restoration
The two Habitat Islands, Bouldin Island and Holland Tract, will provide 9,000 acres of permanently protected wetland and wildlife habitat. The islands have been designed in partnership with the California Department of Fish and Game, and will create a mosaic of seasonal and permanent wetlands, riparian woodland zones, ponds and lakes, and grasslands. In addition, a significant level of farming activity will be integrated into the habitat plan, preserving much of the history and character of the area in perpetuity. The Habitat Islands will provide extremely valuable wetland and wildlife benefits to the Delta, supporting a wide variety of species, including listed and endangered plants and animals and migratory waterfowl. The 9,000 acres of habitat will be one of the largest new conservation efforts in the region, larger than both the Vic Fazio Yolo Wildlife Area and Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge combined.
