Los Vaqueros Reservoir Expansion OVerview
Expansion of Los Vaqueros Reservoir improves Bay Area water supply reliability and water quality while protecting Delta fisheries and providing additional Delta ecosystem benefits.
The proposed project will include a regional intertie (the Transfer-Bethany Pipeline), improved pump stations and pipelines and could increase the reservoir's capacity up to 275,000 acre-feet.
The proposed project builds upon the successful first phase of expansion from 100,000 to 160,000 acre-feet funded by the Contra Costa Water District and completed in 2012.
Los Vaqueros is one of the projects being evaluated in the context of a broader Bay Area effort to work collaboratively as a region to improve water supply reliability.
LVE Fact Sheet (PDF)
Latest News
January 22, 2019
California Water Commission Meeting to Discuss the Administration of Public Benefits
As part of the next steps in executing final funding agreements, the California Water Commission has initiated a series of meetings with project proponents and representatives to begin developing contracts for the administration of public benefits. For the Phase 2 LVE Project, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife will administer the contract for ecosystem benefits and the California Department of Water Resources will administer the contract for the emergency response and recreation benefits. The meeting scheduled for 9:30-11:30 a.m. on February 12, 2019 will focus on the Phase 2 LVE Project. The public can view the meeting via webcast at http://kearnswest.adobeconnect.com/cwcmeetings/.
California Water Commission Links
- Proposition 1 Water Storage Investment Program
- WSIP Project Review Portal
- Los Vaqueros Reservoir Expansion Project
July 24, 2018
California Water Commission's Award of the Maximum Conditional Eligibility Amount and Early Funding Request
Joint News Release from CCWD and partner agencies (PDF)
Statement from Contra Costa Water District:
Contra Costa Water District is very pleased that the California Water Commission has awarded the Maximum Conditional Eligibility Amount and Early Funding Request for the Prop. 1 application to expand Los Vaqueros Reservoir. We appreciate the ongoing hard work and dedication by the Commission and the agency staff. We look forward to continuing to work with the Commission and local agency partners through the next steps of the funding process. We remain confident that an expanded reservoir will be a positive step forward toward greater water reliability for the entire Bay Area region and supply wildlife refuges in the Central Valley.
Jerry Brown, General Manager
Contra Costa Water District
What they are saying about Los Vaqueros Expansion
There is one dam-raising project that has drawn enthusiastic backing from environmental groups: expansion of the Los Vaqueros reservoir near Livermore. It promises to be a source of water for San Joaquin Valley wildlife refuges that often go dry in drought years.
...Raising Los Vaqueros’ earthen dam by 55 feet has has drawn widespread support from both environmentalists and water agencies, including the Santa Clara Valley Water District and East Bay Municipal Utility District. It would provide storage for 275,000 acre feet of water, enough to meet the needs of an additional 575,000 people.
Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards
January 23, 2018
Expanding Los Vaqueros Reservoir is an innovative project that embodies what the voters approved when they passed Proposition 1, including significant, well-defined public benefits for the environment.
Working to expand water supplies for California’s next drought, a coalition of 12 Bay Area water agencies took a significant step Monday toward an $800 million expansion of one of the largest reservoirs in the Bay Area — Los Vaqueros Reservoir in the rolling hills near the Alameda-Contra Costa county line.
Additional flexibility for the water-supply system, water to benefit urban customers in the Bay Area, water for wetlands as well as for farmers and other water users south of the delta: Those are the reasons a dozen partners have joined in support of a proposed expansion of Los Vaqueros Reservoir.
Millions of Bay Area residents could get extra drought insurance against water shortages and quality problems from a proposed $800 million expansion of the Los Vaqueros Reservoir that may have up to 10 water suppliers as partners.
...This plan is amazingly simple. The height of the earthen dam would be raised by 51 feet to 269 feet. That would enable Los Vaqueros Reservoir to expand its capacity from 160,000 acre-feet of water to hold 275,000 acre-feet enough to serve 1.4 million residents on an annual basis.