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Panel hears support for HR 4970 to allow Orland Project water transfers to Central Valley Project
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Summary
Interior officials and regional water managers told the House subcommittee HR 49 70 would let the Orland Project sell surplus water to the Central Valley Project on a temporary basis, increasing flexibility for irrigation, groundwater recharge and drought resilience without requiring new conveyance infrastructure.
WASHINGTON — The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries heard testimony supporting HR 49 70, legislation introduced by Rep. Doug LaMalfa that would amend the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991 to permit transfers of surplus water from the Bureau of Reclamation's Orland Project to the Central Valley Project (CVP).
Dustin Scheer, senior adviser to the assistant secretary for water and science at the Department of the Interior, told the committee the Orland Project supplies roughly 21,000 acres via East Park and Stony Gorge reservoirs and that transfers could be handled through existing conveyance infrastructure. ‘‘This flexibility would help respond to critical shortages, ensuring water can be directed to where it is urgently needed while still protecting the vital interests of Orland project water users,’’ Scheer said.
Bill Vanderwall, general manager of the Tehama Colusa Canal Authority (TCCA), described routine surplus conditions in the Orland Unit watershed that result in releases made for flood control in wet years, when soils are saturated and released water has low value for irrigation. He said allowing transfers into the CVP would enable storing or using that water where it is needed in dry months, reduce groundwater pumping, aid compliance with California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act and protect domestic wells and local economies.
Vanderwall said transfers would be made by temporary contract and that the Orland unit’s supplies are hydrologically independent of the CVP — making the transfers an additional resource rather than a reallocation of CVP water. He estimated the TCCA supports over 156,000 acres and more than $1 billion in annual economic activity and that transfers from Orland could reduce fallowing and energy use tied to groundwater pumping.
Committee members asked whether physical modifications would be required to convey the water; Scheer replied existing infrastructure could accommodate the transfers. LaMalfa and other California members framed the bill as a modest, cost-effective change to make otherwise stranded water available, while other members sought assurances that Reclamation approval and oversight would remain part of the transfer process.
No formal vote occurred. The department expressed support for HR 49 70 in testimony; the bill remains at the subcommittee stage pending further review and any necessary environmental compliance.
