CARES Action Committee on June 19, 2014:
Western Delta Intake Concept (WDIC)
By Dr. Robert Pyke
Dr. Pyke's WDIC will have the following benefits at it pertains to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and water transfers.
- The WDIC would be located on Sherman Island on the south end of Sacramento County. Sherman Island is now mostly owned by the state of California.
- All waters (rivers, streams, island pump-outs, run-off, etc.) must pass through the Delta to the WDIC site.
- Due to all of the water passing through the Delta, monies for Delta infrastructure will remain in the Delta.
- WDIC is half the distance to the State and Federal pumping stations. Thus a huge reduction in construction and mitigation costs.
- WDIC permeable embankments are far more efficient and effective than other fish screen proposals, which are ineffective or unproven.
- Due to all waters passing through the Delta and the inclusion of additional storage which allows true Big-Gulp-Little Gulp operation, Southern water users would receive more water over the long haul versus BDCP's proposal.
- WDIC is self-regulating: meaning over pumping of water at any time will result in too much brackish (salt) water. The pumps must be turned down or shut off as a result of too much brackish water.
These advantages over the BDCP's proposal are significant. It is in our best interests to investigate the WDIC proposal.
Dr. Robert Pyke is an individual consultant on geotechnical, earthquake and water resource engineering. He was one of the principal authors of the Economic Sustainability Plan of the Delta Protection Commission. He has served as a consultant on numerous high profile projects including dam safety evaluations for both East Bay Municipal Utility District and the Santa Clara Valley Water District. Dr. Pyke can be reached at:
Dr. Robert Pyke
1310 Alma Avenue, W201
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
(925) 323-7338
bobpyke@attglobal.net
In addition the following was included:
Two Keys:
- Recognition that man-made alteration of the Delta in combination with larger export flows has turned the Delta from an estuarine environment into a more lacustrine environment which favors invasive species over native species, and
- Recognition that precipitation in California is extremely variable and that past and future variability, which many clinate scientists predict might be greater, must be addressed in any sustainable water management plan.
Four Principles:
- That natural flows through the Delta should be restored to the maximum practical extent;
- That much more water should be extracted at periods of high flow and much less, or zero, water should be extracted at periods of low flows;
- Scheme should be self-regulating and not rely upon complicated agreements;
- Scheme should be simple to design, permit and operate.
Six Physical Elements:
- Restoration of floodplains on the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers and their tributaries in order to provide flood storage and stretch out the flood hydrograph in addition to providing significant flood management benefits;
- New intake facilities somewhere in the West Delta to allow flows to pass through the Delta in a natural way before surplus flows are extracted;
- One or more tunnels that can move the extracted water to additional storage facilities that would likely be located adjacent to the existing Clifton Court Forebay;
- Additional south-of Delta storage, much of it likely as groundwater but also perhaps including Westside surface storage;
- During periods of very high flow, the new intakes and the existing South Bay intakes, with fish screens along the Old River, could be used simultaneously;
- To maintain South Delta wate quality, construct lined canal to recirculate water from the aqueducts to the San Joaquin River as necessary
