USBR  AND  CENTRAL  VALLEY  PROJECT

Reclamation Duties Are Set For Two Mid-Pacific Deputy Directors

Jason Phillips has been given his marching orders as the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation adds a second Mid-Pacific Region Deputy Director.
Phillips, former San Joaquin River Restoration Program Manager, was named October 30 by Regional Director David Murillo to share deputy responsibilities with Pablo Arroyaye.
The two are now assisting Murillo with 11 projects – including the huge Central Valley Project of which the Friant Division is a part in the northern two-thirds of California, most of western Nevada and part of southern Oregon.
Phillips will oversee USBR area offices in Oregon and Nevada, the Region’s construction and program coordination offices, and divisions involved in the environment, safety and security, design and construction, resources management and planning.
Arroyaye is to oversee area offices at Fresno, Folsom and Shasta Lake as well as the San Joaquin River Restoration Program, and the CVP Operations and Bay Delta offices in Sacramento.

GROUNDWATER

Monitoring Workshops Set

A series of workshops has been scheduled to discuss the California Statewide Groundwater Elevation Monitoring (CASGEM) program’s process.
CASGEM was launched three years ago to comply with legislation signed in 2009 requiring California to develop a permanent groundwater monitoring program.
A Fresno session will begin at 4 p.m. Thursday, January 9, at the Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District.
Other workshops are January 7 in Redding, January 16 in Sacramento, January 22 in Riverside, and January 23 in Los Angeles.

TUOLUMNE RIVER

Don Pedro Power Application Filed

The Modesto and Turlock irrigation districts have filed draft applications with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to continue using Don Pedro Reservoir for hydroelectric power production.
The filing is expected to heighten debate on how much water should be released into the lower Tuolumne River to benefit salmon and other fish. Environmentalists are seeking greater releases.
Agricultural representatives are clamoring for farm water diversions to continue.

OROVILLE DAM

Seismic Study May Be Required

Massive Oroville Dam, which forms the Feather River reservoir that is the origin of the State Water Project, may be in for a major earthquake safety assessment.
An inspection was conducted in 2010 by consultants working for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which oversees hydroelectric project dams in the United States.
Inspectors found no significant problems but want a broader seismic study based upon new information on earthquake hazards that may be located near the 742-foot-high dam, the Sacramento Bee reported.
The California Department of Water Resources indicated it has no plans to make such a seismic study. They say the dam has sufficient strength and was essentially “overbuilt.”
Oroville Dam was completed in 1968 and creates a reservoir with a capacity of 3.5 million acre-feet