Water Resources: Hydraulics and Hydrology
San Francisco Bay to Stockton Project and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Studies
About that time, I was assigned the San Francisco Bay to Stockton Project which involved
deepening the deep-draft navigation project through Suisuin Bay and the lower San Joaquin
River to the Port of Stockton. Morrison Creek and the Sacramento River shallow-draft
projects were both feasibility studies. San Francisco Bay to Stockton was an authorized
project. The studies were post-authorization planning for deepwater (ocean-going)
navigation. Later I was assigned the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta studies which
investigated increasing the degree of flood protection for the many islands protected by
unstable levees? and increasing public recreation opportunities.
Phase II of Sacramento River Bank Protection Project
I was also responsible for studies for Phase II of the Sacramento River Bank Protection
Project, including investigating the need for mitigation lands to compensate for
environmental losses. A separate study was made to assess potential for including the
Sacramento River from Sacramento upstream to Shasta Dam in the Wild and Scenic River
System.
Post-Authorization Studies on Marysville Lake
In 1972 I assumed responsibility for on-going post-authorization studies of the Marysville
Lake multiple-purpose reservoir project on the Yuba River. This was a project desperately
wanted by the local people because urban areas near the junction of the Yuba and Feather
Rivers had been flooded due to levee failures several times in the last 50 years. The project
plan included flood control, irrigation water supply, recreation, and a large
power
installation. The study addressed impacts on prehistoric and historic cultural sites, spawning
areas for salmon and steelhead, water quality and heavy metals--particularly the presence of
mercury from old gold mining operations, etc. It was a very interesting and challenging
study, and we had an extensive public involvement program. When I retired in 1977, we had
just completed the post-authorization study. The state did not support the project at that
time--I think probably for political reasons; it appeared that the state wanted to construct the
project, with the federal government contributing for flood control, as had been done for
Oroville Dam on the Feather River. Due basically to lack of state support, the project was
not funded for construction. However, California still needs the power and water supply the
project could provide, as well as flood protection.
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