Central Valley Basic California Water Resources Development

Expanding California’s Central Valley Project.

“In many areas water tables are not yet stabilized, while preparation of still more land for crops increases the over-drafts upon underground supplies. Hardly more than half of the lands it will ultimately be possible to irrigate have been prepared for crops. Yet already in late 1948, dust storms raised from plowed fields had begun to trouble the southern San Joaquin Valley” – Paul S. Taylor.

This map of California’s Central Valley was issued by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in late 1949. The heavily irrigated region necessitates massive supplies of water, so the Central Valley Project was organized in 1933 to oversee the construction and management of a complex system of canals, dams, and reservoirs.

Many of these sites are shown on the map. Features like canals and reservoirs colored in blue existed at the time of printing, while those in red (significantly greater in number) are planned for future development. The same year as publication, President Truman proposed a $1 billion expansion to the California Valley Project.

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