Its construction authorized by the Rivers and Harbors Act of
1937, the massive Central Valley Project
(CVP) encompasses 20 reservoirs with a combined storage capacity
of 11 million acre-feet, eight power plants, two
pumping-generating plants and some 500 miles of major canals and
aqueducts. In a normal year, the CVP delivers 7 million acre-feet
of water to about 3 million acres of farmland in the Central
Valley.
Many cities rely on local water projects for all or a portion of
their supplies. These projects typically were built and are
operated by local public water districts, county water
departments, city water departments or other special districts.
Nearly 600 special purpose local agencies in California provide
water to their areas through local development projects and
imported supplies.
