President John F. Kennedy at ground-breaking ceremonies for the CVP’s San Luis Dam, Aug. 18, 1962

Introduction

The Central Valley Project (CVP) stands as one of the greatest engineering and public works achievements of the 20^th Century.  Stretching 450 miles from the Cascade Mountains in the far northern regions of the state to the fertile farmlands of the southern San Joaquin Valley, the CVP supplies 17 percent of the water used by the state’s farms, homes and industry.  The CVP also plays a key role in efforts to conserve fish and wildlife, provides flood control, navigation, and creates opportunities for recreation. 

In approving construction of the CVP in 1935, the United States Congress anticipated the delivery of water to the arid regions of California would lead to the development of a major agricultural economy, as well as the growth of cities and industries, in the areas the project served.  That foresight has come true.  Today, the CVP provides water to irrigate approximately three million acres, or one-third of the agricultural land in California.  It furnishes water to 1 million households and generates 5.6 billion kilowatt hours of clean hydroelectricity annually to meet the needs of about 2 million people.

According to the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation, the CVP delivers water to six of the top 10 agricultural counties in the nation's leading farm state - California. The value of the crops grown with water from the CVP, along with the related service industries that depend on the project, have returned 100 times the United States’ investment of $3 billion to build the CVP. In addition, state and local governments, schools, recreation districts and other public agencies have benefited from the tax revenue generated by the farming and business activity supported by CVP water.

In the 1970’s, the nation became increasingly aware of the CVP’s impact upon the Sacramento River-San Joaquin River Delta.  Independently, the State of California and the federal government began to take steps to mitigate these impacts.  Those efforts culminated in the 1992 passage of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA). The new law, coupled with other state and federal actions, led to a major realignment of the project’s focus. Approximately 1.2 million acre-feet of water – more than 17 percent of the total amount of water it delivers – was redirected away from San Joaquin Valley farms and dedicated to environmental restoration uses; particularly fishery purposes and to state and federal wildlife refuges.  Since adoption of the CVPIA, farmers and other CVP users have paid more than $460 million into an environmental restoration fund mandated by the CVPIA.

In response to the water supply shortages brought about by the CVPIA and ESA requirements, farms in the San Joaquin Valley served by the CVP have undergone dramatic changes.  Today, San Joaquin Valley farmers make extraordinarily efficient use of water, employ environmentally sensitive and sustainable farming practices, use less pesticides and other chemicals in the management of their crops and fields, have adopted progressive farm labor practices and grow the highest quality fruits, nuts and vegetables in the world.