Public Policy Institute of California
An accident of history has left California with two massive, overlapping water projects: the federally operated Central Valley Project (CVP) and the State Water Project (SWP) operated by the California Department of Water Resources. Maintaining and operating two projects that serve the same purpose is inefficient. Moreover, the projects are often beset by controversy and conflict when state and federal administrations change.
California set out to build the CVP in the late 1920s but could not finance it due to the Great Depression. The federal government stepped in and began construction of the CVP in 1935 with Shasta Dam—which created the state’s largest reservoir—as its anchor. In 1960, state voters passed the Water Resources Development Act, which funded construction of the SWP. This project included Oroville Dam, which created its capstone reservoir, and the California Aqueduct, which provides water to southern California. …
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