Irrigating 15,000 acres of farmland and supplying 30 million gallons of water daily, without harming endangered fish or river flow
Farmers in the Sacramento Valley irrigated their crops with water supplied by Reclamation District (RD) 2035’s 97-year-old pump station. With no fish screens, diversion pumping endangered the migrating Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout, and other Anadromous species. Plus, people in Woodland and Davis relied on drinking water supplied by groundwater with water quality issues. The Woodland-Davis Clean Water Agency (WDCWA) needed a high-quality, more-reliable water supply solution.
These agencies joined forces to build the new $58 million Joint Intake and Fish Screen project. Completed in 2017, it diverts water from the Sacramento River at up to 400-cubic feet/second (cfs), enough to fill an Olympic-sized pool in four minutes. The high-profile, stainless steel, flat-plate fish screen system was specifically designed with 1.75 millimetre slot openings and cleaning systems to protect native species without impacting the river’s natural flow.
Overall, we spent more than 15-years collaborating with RD 2035, WDCWA, and other stakeholders to develop alternatives, secure grant funding, obtain project approvals, and construct the project. The result? 15,000 acres of reliable irrigation water to eastern Yolo County and 30 million gallons of surface water delivered daily to the cities of Woodland and Davis.
At a Glance
- Awards
- 2017 Outstanding Water/Wastewater Treatment Project of the Year — Sacramento Section of the ASCE
- 2018 Clair A. Hill Agency Award for Excellence, Finalist, Association of California Water Agencies
Janet Atkinson, Vice President, Chief Civil Conveyance Engineer, Water
In California, transporting water to cities and farms is an economic imperative. By advancing fish screen design, I help keep water moving.
Treating water with respect will help is build a better, more sustainable future.
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