San Joaquin Valley - Areas Impacted by Northern Tributaries Proposal

Extracted from Land Water Intersection Report:

As part of its Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan, the WRCB is proposing new standards for maintaining stream flows in the three major tributaries of the lower San Joaquin River. Current flows in the Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced Rivers now average below levels that WRCB has determined are necessary to support salmon and other at-risk fish species in these rivers. It proposes that withdrawals from these streams for irrigation and other purposes be reduced so as to maintain a minimum flow of 30 to 50 percent of “unimpaired” or natural flows during the February through June period when adequate flows are most critical to fish.

These three tributaries are at the heart of several irrigation districts located in areas that, according to our analysis, not only feature some of the highest quality land in the San Joaquin Valley, but also experience some of the lowest water stress levels – for now. Implementation of the WRCB proposal to achieve a compromise level of 40 percent of unimpaired flows would have the greatest potential impact in those areas identified in Figure 12.