Reclamation funding improves delivery system at Gray Lodge Wildlife Area
From the Bureau of Reclamation:
In the shadow of the Sutter Buttes in the northern Sacramento Valley, the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area is an oasis of more than 9,000 acres of habitat that is a haven for millions of migrating waterfowl.
When they flock to Gray Lodge for the winter, the cacophony of the collective honking and squawking is hard to ignore. Neither is the sheer number of birds present.
Gray Lodge is special because it represents a remnant of what used to be in the valley. Long before the Sacramento and Feather rivers were developed for flood control and water supply, the valley would regularly be turned into a vast inland sea as the rivers spilled their banks and dumped floodwater into the low-lying floodplain.
This created a bonanza of habitat and sanctuary for birds and wildlife during the peak of the flood and once the water receded. As the land was cultivated for farming, the flow of water was diverted and the need for habitat preservation emerged. The state of California created Gray Lodge in 1953.
It was with that purpose in mind that Reclamation and its partners recently gathered at Gray Lodge to celebrate the completion of a comprehensive water supply improvement project that vastly improves the reliability and dependability of water delivered under the authority of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act.
Reclamation provided more than $30 million to initiate the extensive amount of work needed to improve Gray Lodge’s water supply. During the first phase of construction more than 4 miles of canal laterals were rebuilt while about 6 miles of canal were reshaped.
Others involved are the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the state of California, Biggs-West Gridley Water District and Ducks Unlimited. For Reclamation, which supplies water to the 19 wildlife areas and refuges identified in the Central Valley Project Improvement Act, the project allows it to fulfill the requirement to deliver “Level 4” water, which is defined as providing optimal wetland habitat development.
Jeff McCreary, director of operations for Ducks Unlimited, said the importance of the project cannot be understated.
“The Central Valley is one of the most important areas for wintering waterfowl not only in the Pacific Flyway but in the entire world,” he said. “Gray Lodge is one of the shiny jewels of the Pacific Flyway.”
Reclamation Regional Director Ernest Conant lauded the partnership that made the project possible and its multiple benefits.
“Not only does the project help the region’s farmers; it ensures there’s a steady supply of water for the millions of birds and other wildlife that rely on the wetlands that make up this key stop on the Pacific Flyway,” he said.
Completing the water supply project was difficult and challenging. The land is as flat as a pool table, meaning extensive work had to be completed to generate the means to get water gravity fed from the head gates of the conveyance line to Gray Lodge. An infusion of more than $50 million in state bond dollars helped get the project over the finish line.
Crews completed their work on the main irrigation system while it was being used by dozens of landowners – all of whom lent their cooperation and support to the project. During the second phase, work included replacing five county road bridges, seven large water-control structures, three farm bridges and 45 structures that move water into farm fields. Workers bored under railroad tracks, a painstaking process with minimal room for error.
McCreary credited the perseverance of all those involved in seeing the project to fruition.
“Gray Lodge could not be the jewel it is without the support of Reclamation [and other agencies] all grinding away at the conservation wheel to make this truly multi-beneficial project,” he said.
