About the Central Valley Project (CVP)
The CVP Today
The CVP serves farms, homes, and industry in California's Central Valley as well as the major urban centers in the San Francisco Bay Area; it is also the primary source of water for much of California's wetlands.
In addition to delivering water for farms, homes, factories, and the environment, the CVP produces electric power and provides flood protection, navigation, recreation, and water quality benefits. While the facilities are spread out over hundreds of miles, the project is financially and operationally integrated as a single large water project.
- Reaches from the Cascade Mountains near Redding
in the north some 500 miles to the Tehachapi Mountains near Bakersfield
in the south.
- Is comprised of 20 dams and reservoirs, 11 powerplants,
and 500 miles of major canal as well as conduits, tunnels, and
- Annually delivers about 7 million acre-feet for
agriculture, urban, and wildlife use.
- Provides about 5 million acre-feet for farms --
enough to irrigate about 3 million acres or approximately one-third
of the agricultural land in California.
- Furnishes about 600,000 acre-feet for municipal
and industrial use, enough to supply close to 1 million households
with their water needs each year.
- Dedicates 800,000 acre-feet per year to fish and
wildlife and their habitat and 410,00 acre-feet to State and Federal
wildlife refuges and wetlands pursuant to the Central Valley Project
Improvement Act (CVPIA).
- Generates 5.6 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually to meet the needs of about 2 million people.
For assistance or additional information about this website, please contact Public Affairs
Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Region
2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento CA 95825-1898
Main 916-978-5100 | FAX 916-978-5114 | TTY 916-978-5608
Reclamation Officials' Telephone Numbers
Last update: September 26, 2012