An Annual Snapshot of the Management of the State Water Project

Are you interested in learning how the nation’s largest state-built water conveyance system, known as the California State Water Project (SWP), is managed? The Department of Water Resources recently released the latest two editions of the Bulletin 132 series that reports annual water deliveries, facilities maintenance, financial analysis, water quality monitoring, recreational opportunities, power resources, and other activities related to the SWP.

The annual publication that covers activities for the previous year and financial data used to calculate charges for the subsequent year, is used for research and reference by many, including the California Legislature, SWP Contractors, utilities, bond investors, and the public. The bulletins give a detailed overview of more than 60 years of record about SWP operations that are used widely both within DWR and externally for many purposes, including water supply planning, academic papers, news articles, and DWR studies.  

“The Bulletin 132 series allows our team to inform others about the many aspects of managing the SWP to ensure a reliable, safe, and cost-efficient water supply,” said Mohammed Musazay, Bulletin 132 Project Lead. “It allows DWR to provide a historical record of SWP operations that will help us plan for future operations.”

Since it was created in 1963 by the second DWR Director William Warne while initial SWP facilities were under construction, the report has expanded from 13 chapters with 280 pages to 14 chapters with more than 450 pages. The appendix was expanded with the addition of the SWP contractors’ statements of water charges.

The comprehensive report was produced thanks to the collaboration of more than 200 employees statewide in 15 DWR divisions. To produce the report, the Bulletin 132 team’s LaTresce Brown, Josh Kendrix, Mohammed Musazay and Adrienne Starkey collect and edit information provided by other DWR employees to ensure the report information is accurate and useful for findings of SWP specific facts.

The SWP supplies water to more than 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland. It consists of 36 storage facilities, 26 dams, 21 pumping plants, 5 hydroelectric power plants, 4 pumping-generating plants, and over 700 miles of canals, tunnels, and pipelines. In addition to delivering water to 29 SWP contractors, the SWP is multi-purposed, including flood control, hydroelectric power generation, recreational opportunities, and fish and wildlife habitat enhancements.

SWP Milestones

The bulletin spotlights SWP milestones through the decades that include:

• 1970     SWP facilities required to fulfill initial water deliveries were 96 percent completed or under construction.
• 1980     Key SWP court decision in nearly 20 years favored DWR on all counts and held that DWR did not breach its water supply contracts in 1976-77 when it released stored water for salinity control in the Delta.
• 1990     The South Delta temporary barrier at Grant Line Canal was installed and operated for the first time.
• 2000      East Branch Extension Phase I construction of Crafton Hills Reservoir and other facilities were completed in this decade.
• 2010     Special SWP Exhibit titled “Extreme Engineering: The California State Water Project Past, Present, and Future” showcased the SWP’s delivery system and its many benefits at the California Museum.
• 2020     The SWP continued operations as SWP recreational facilities had temporary closures due to Covid-19 restrictions.  Water deliveries to State Water Project contractors and 24 other agencies totaled 2,686,537 acre-feet.  

To learn more about SWP activities, such as energy generation by facilities, temporary Delta barriers installed, environmental restoration projects constructed, and energy used for pumping and generating plants operations, view the latest editions of the bulletin that cover actual calendar year 2019 and 2020 activities as well as cost information for calendar year 2021 and 2022.