The severe droughts we have seen in recent years were yet another reminder of how critical it is to continually invest in new infrastructure to capture and store water to prepare for future dry years.
At the same time, we also need to work collaboratively today to make the most of our current resources.
Last month, we took a significant step to do just that. The Exchange Contractors are proud to announce a new partnership with the Bureau of Reclamation, Friant Water Authority, and San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority to implement a South of Delta Drought Resiliency Framework.
In short, this agreement marks a new level of collaboration between the three agencies involved that will show us voluntarily agreeing to set aside and store a portion of our annual water deliveries for later use in dry years.
It includes new investments and financial commitments for infrastructure projects to implement the agreement, including the Delta-Mendota Canal Subsidence Correction Project and the Los Banos Creek Detention Dam Increased Storage Project. More importantly, this voluntary agreement achieves these goals while maintaining long-standing and historic water rights.
There are significant environmental benefits to the agreement, which include financial commitments from the bureau and the Exchange Contractors to advance the goals of the San Joaquin River Restoration Program to ensure that the San Joaquin River flows past Sack Dam to Mendota Pool.
The three agencies have additionally agreed to resolve previous disputes about the Del Puerto Canyon Reservoir Project. As I’ve written in this column, the Del Puerto Canyon Reservoir Project is a critically important water conservation and storage project proposed to be built west of Patterson and south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
It will help promote water reliability and environmental sustainability by creating the capacity to store 82,000 acre-feet of water while solving the issue of reoccurring flooding in surrounding areas.
I want to thank our partner agencies for their hard work over many months to make this agreement a reality, as well as the Bureau of Reclamation for their commitment and resources, Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton and Regional Director Ernest Conant for their leadership, Senator Alex Padilla and Representative Jim Costa for their support, and our board of directors for their engagement.
For years, the Exchange Contractors have worked to help find solutions that benefit all water users in the Central Valley.
The South of Delta Drought Resiliency Framework and the work we continue to do today will ensure we are more prepared with a more resilient water system when dry times return.
This agreement shows what we can accomplish when we come together and work collaboratively to set aside our disagreements and focus on the areas where we can all benefit from working in partnership.
I have said before that disputes relating to water are often framed as a zero-sum game in which someone wins and another loses.
However, there is so much more opportunity for us to work together in a way where everyone can benefit. I hope this agreement is just one example of many more future collaborations.
Chris White is the executive director of the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority (Exchange Contractors).
