- 1772
- First recorded sighting of Delta by Fray Juan Crespi and Captain Pedro
Farges.
- 1776
- San Carlos--first ship to enter San Francisco Bay.
- 1849
- Settlers begin arriving in the Delta to farm its rich soils while Forty-Niners
pass through on their way to strike gold in the Sierra foothills.
- 1850
- Congress passes the Federal Swamp and Overflow Act, which provided for
the title of wetlands to be transferred from the Federal Government to the
states.
- 1861
- California Legislature authorizes the Reclamation District Act, allowing
drainage of Delta lands and construction of sturdier levees.
- 1869
- Sherman Island is the site of the first coordinated levee system in the
Delta.
- 1879
- Prized by fisherman, the Striped Bass is brought by rail from the East
Coast to the Delta. Two more shipments are required before the fish is established.
- 1880
- Most of the Delta reclaimed using dredges developed to build levees quickly
and inexpensively. By 1930, all but minor areas of swampland had been leveed
and were being farmed.
- 1884
- Federal Circuit Court decision in Woodruff v. North Bloomfield, et al.,
requires termination of mining debris discharges into California rivers. Hydraulic
mining had deposited tens of silt and sand in Delta channels and up- stream
rivers.
- 1900
- California's population is estimated at 1.5 million.
- 1902
- Congress passes the Reclamation Act for develop- ment of irrigated lands
in the western United States.
- 1911
- The Reclamation Board is created by the California Legislature to implement
a comprehensive flood control plan for the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers.
- 1914
- California Legislature passes bill to revise water right law regarding
appropriation of surface water.
- 1930
- State completes comprehensive investigation of Delta salinity and its control,
and also the State Water Plan (now the Central Valley Project) to transfer
northern California water throughout the Central Valley.
- 1933
- Corps of Engineers dredges Stockton Deep Water Ship Channel to Port of
Stockton.
Congress authorizes the Central Valley Project (CVP).
- 1940
- Export of Delta water begins with U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) completion
of the Contra Costa Canal, the first unit of the CVP.
- 1944
- Shasta Dam and Reservoir completed as a key feature of the CVP; adds water
to Delta channels during low-flow periods, thereby limiting salinity intrusion.
1951 Delta export increases with completion of the Delta-Mendota Canal, another
unit of the CVP.
USBR constructs the Delta Cross Channel to aid in transferring water
from the Sacramento River across the Delta to the Tracy Pumping Plant, which
serves the Delta Mendota Canal.
- 1959
- State Legislature passes the Delta Protection Act and the Burns-Porter
Act to assist in financing the State Water Project, including Delta facilities.
The SWP, which would increase Delta exports, was approved by California voters
in 1960.
- 1960
- California voters approve the Burns-Porter Act (also called the State Water
Project Development Bond Act) authorizing the sale of $1.75 billion of general
obligation bonds to help finance the SWP. California's population is 15.7 million.
- 1963
- Corps of Engineers dredges the Sacramento Deep Water Channel to the port
of Sacramento.
- 1965
- Interagency Delta Committee, formed in 1961, completed its report recommending
various Delta facilities, including the Peripheral Canal, to offset adverse
effects of increasing Delta exports.
- 1967
- Oroville Dam and Reservoir is completed as a key feature of the SWP and
the Feather River Fish Hatchery is opened to replace spawning areas lost as
a result of the dam.
The first stage of the Harvey O. Banks Delta Pumping Plant is completed
along with the John E. Skinner Fish Facility.
- 1971
- State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) adopts its Delta Water Rights
Decision 1379 establishing Delta water quality standards to be met by the Central
Valley Project (CVP) and SWP.
- 1973
- California Aqueduct completed to Southern California.
Legislature passes Senate Bill 541 (also known as the Way Bill) to provide
State financial assistance for maintenance and improvement of certain Delta
levees.
Delta Environmental Advisory Committee (DEAC) concludes that a federal-State
Peripheral Canal, properly designed and operated, is necessary to protect the
Delta. 1978 SWRCB issues Water Right Decision 1485 updating Delta water quality
standards and establishing water quality standards for Suisun Marsh.
- 1980
- State Legislature passes Senate Bill 200 specifying the Peripheral Canal
as the Delta water transfer facility, requiring staged construction and fish
screen testing but without requiring federal participation.
- 1982
- California voters defeat Proposition 9, which includes the Peripheral Canal,
the SB 200 package of statewide facilities, and Delta protection, by a 3-2
margin. 1986 Congress passes DWR and USBR historic accord, the CVP-SWP Coordinated
Operation Agreement.
California Supreme Court affirms State court of Appeal ruling (Racanelli
Decision) strengthening SWRCB powers to protect the Bay/Delta system. The Racanelli
Decision covered eight cases challenging SWRCB's Decision 1485, issued in 1978,
and its Water Quality Control Plan for the Delta and Suisun Marsh. The decision
recognizes SWRCB's broad authority and discretion over water rights and water
quality issues, including jurisdiction over the federal CVP.
DWR and the Department of Fish and Game sign the Delta Pumping Plant fishery
mitigation agreement for direct fish loss.
- 1987
- DWR installs Middle River Weir as part of an agreement with the South Delta
Water Agency to improve water conditions for local agricultural diverters.
It is the first component of a temporary program designed to provide data for
a more permanent solution.
- 1988
- DWR completes pumping plant for North Bay Aqueduct and the Suisun Marsh
salinity control gates.
- 1988
- Legislature passes Senate Bill 34, which provides $120 million over a l0-year
period for DWR to rebuild Delta levees, enlarge channels, and help reclamation
districts make levee improvements.
An engineering study by the California Urban Water Agencies examines options
for improving drinking water quality for users of Delta water.
- 1990
- California's population is now 29.8 million. (1990, U.S. Census)
- 1991
- Construction completed on four additional pumping units at the Banks Pumping
Plant.
- 1992
- The Legislature passes the Delta Protection Act of 1992 establishing the
Delta Protection Commission. The Commission is to develop a comprehensive,
long-term resources management plan for the Delta by July 1, 1994.
Congress passes the Central Valley Project Improve- ment Act (PL 102-575)
which allows water transfers from CVP contractors to other water users, reforms
water pricing, and commits up to 800,000 acre-feet annually to fish and wildlife
purposes.
Governor establishes Bay-Delta Oversight Commit- tee for long-term Delta
planning.
- 1993
- The Delta Smelt is listed as a Threatened Species and actions are defined
(such as pulse flows on the Sacramento River and limitations on certain flows
within the Delta) to improve conditions for the smelt and the Winter-run Salmon
tan Endangered Species).
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