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BAY DELTA CROSS CHANNEL OPERATIONAL STUDIES
Impact/Purpose:
Determine Effect of Delta Cross Channel Gate Operation on Water Quality and Migration of Juvenile and Adult Salmon
Description:
The Delta Cross Channel was constructed in 1953 to deliver low-salinity water from the Sacramento River in Northern California to the South Delta where it is pumped to the San Francisco Bay Area and other parts of the State for public consumption and to the San Joaquin Valley for agriculture use. In 1999, gates controlling the diversion of water from the Sacramento River to the Channel were closed to prevent migrating juvenile salmon from being swept into the channel and from there into the inner Delta where their chances of survival would be greatly reduced. This action significantly affected the water quality of downstream users and precipitated an effort to study the problem under the auspices of CALFED, an interagency organization of Federal, State and local agencies. A three-year study plan was begun in the fall of 2000 to track the effects of gate operation on water quality, adult and juvenile salmon migration, and the environment. Daily, monthly and seasonal variations of these parameters are being studied. In addition to changing the operation of the gates to the Channel, screening of fish, fish ladders and new canals are some possible outcomes of the study. Some key words used in the study include: fish migration, fish tracking, fish collection and counting techniques, radio tags, hydro-acoustic surveys, fish trawl results, water salinity, electric conductivity, ebb tide, flood tide, neap tide, spring tide, seawater intrusion, and flow velocity measurements. Also see the CALFED Bay-Delta Program.
