Expanded Use of Surface Water Supplies by Cities In the Central Valley, Reasons and Results, Fresno-Clovis AS A CASE STUDY

CENTRAL VALLEY GROUNDWATER SYSTEM

EXPANDED USE OF SURFACE WATER SUPPLIES BY CITIES IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY, REASONS AND RESULTS, FRESNO-CLOVIS AS A CASE STUDY

Lon Martin¹

ABSTRACT

Recently numerous cities and communities in the Central Valley have, and are continuing, to shift to surface water supplies as a method to address groundwater quantity, quality and sustainability issues. Current projects under way include Modesto, Lodi and Davis-Woodland. Fresno-Clovis made the transition a relatively short time ago and the reasons and results will be presented as a case study.

Fresno has a contract for a federal Central Valley Project allocation of 60,000 acre-feet from the Friant Division. For many years it was managed and used primarily by agricultural delivery organizations but also used by the City for groundwater recharge in the well-known “Leaky Acres” project near the Fresno Air Terminal. As the population increased and operations and maintenance costs rose for both delivery and treatment (DBCP and other VOC’s) of groundwater, the use of the CVP allocation for direct potable use became attractive. Similarly, the community of Clovis began to outgrow its groundwater supplies and as land was incorporated into the community a portion of Kings River water supplies that were previously used for agriculture became available for potable use. Both communities now operate surface water treatment plants in the northeast, upslope of the metropolitan area and its groundwater sources.