One Year Water Transfers from 2027 to 2036 Project

WATER TRANSFERS The Districts are proposing to conduct a series of one-year water transfers over a 10-year period from 2027 through 2036. The water to be transferred may be for environmental enhancement or by one or more buyers with temporary unmet consumptive water demands due to dry conditions or other factors. Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water) would have the first right of refusal for the water transfers from BWGWD and SEWD. A water transfer temporarily moves water from a willing seller (in this case, BWGWD or SEWD) to an environmental purpose or willing buyer. To make water supplies available for transfer, the seller must take an action to reduce consumptive use such as fallowing crops. Additionally, water transfers must comply with all applicable State and federal laws. This EIR analyzes water transfers as if the full amount would be transferred every year during the 10-year transfer period; however, transfers may be less frequent and smaller in volume over this period. Annual approval of transfers is required by BWGWD and/or SEWD, the end user, and DWR, regardless of the EIR term or the duration of a water transfer contract. WATER TRANSFER AVAILABILITY The water transfers would include short-term transfers of up to 18,780 AF for BWGWD and up to 14,850 AF for SEWD in any year. Water made available by crop idling within the boundaries of the Districts would be retained and stored by the DWR at Lake Oroville for delivery to Valley Water (or a different buyer if Valley Water refuses, as further discussed below), pending approval from DWR. The Project area, from which the water for the potential transfers would be made available, is defined by the two Districts’ boundaries, which encompass approximately 31,300 acres for BWGWD and approximately 19,000 acres for SEWD, in the northern Sacramento Valley in Butte and Sutter Counties. Land idled for the purpose of the potential transfers would be drawn from the rice acreage within the Districts. Crop idling acreages for transfers would be to the exclusion of habitat of the giant garter snake. Adjoining areas, other irrigated lands, drains, wetlands, and waterfowl habitat would not be affected, as those areas would receive their normal entitlement, and canals and drains would operate at normal operating capacity. Water would generally be available on the same pattern during the growing season as it would have been consumed had a crop been planted. CROP IDLING TRANSFERS Cropland idling water transfers make water available by reducing the consumptive use of surface water applied for irrigation. The equivalent surface water supplies are then not diverted and are made available for transfer. The Districts’ proposed water transfers would fully comply with DWR’s DRAFT Technical Information for Preparing Water Transfer Proposals in 2019 where applicable regarding land idling. The quantity of transfer water made available through crop idling is currently calculated based on the pattern of Evapotranspiration Rate of Applied Water (ETAW). In the absence of technical information supporting an alternate method, the quantity of transfer water will continue to be calculated based on ETAW for any crop acreage idling. Consistent with the provisions contained in California Water Code Section 1018, potential participating landowners would be encouraged to cultivate or retain non-irrigated cover crops or natural vegetation into their cropland idling transfer to protect habitat value in the area to be idled. In addition, only 20 percent of irrigable acres may be idled under crop idling water transfers according to DWR’s DRAFT Technical Information for Preparing Water Transfer Proposals in 2019. WATER TRANSFER OPERATIONS No new construction or improvements by BWGWD, SEWD, Valley Water or other potential buyers, or DWR would be necessary for the production and transfer of water resulting from the Project. Normal operations involve DWR releasing water from the Oroville Reservoir to the Thermalito Afterbay to be diverted by BWGWD and SEWD. For water transfers, DWR reduces what it releases, and, as a result, one or both of the two Districts also reduce their water diversions. Water would be stored in the Oroville Reservoir if capacity is available, and stored water follows DWR’s applicable policies and regulations. Storing transfer water could not affect the ability of DWR to meet environmental commitments or water deliveries and would not be possible if flood releases were being made from the Oroville Reservoir as no capacity would be available. Water would become available for transfer on the same schedule that it would have been delivered to BWGWD and SEWD.