California Aqueduct | |
|---|---|
 The Delta–Mendota Canal (left) and the California Aqueduct (right) near Tracy, California | |
| Coordinates | 37°49′47″N 121°33′25″W / 37.8297°N 121.557°W |
| Begins | Clifton Court Forebay, Contra Costa County 37°49′47″N 121°33′25″W / 37.82972°N 121.55694°W |
| Ends | West Branch Castaic Lake, Los Angeles County 34°35′15″N 118°39′25″W / 34.587379°N 118.656893°W East Branch Silverwood Lake, San Bernardino County 34°18′12″N 117°19′12″W / 34.303457°N 117.319908°W Coastal Branch Lake Cachuma, Santa Barbara County 34°35′12″N 119°58′52″W / 34.586656°N 119.980975°W |
| Official name | Governor Edmund G. Brown California Aqueduct |
| Maintained by | California Department of Water Resources |
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | Total: 444 mi (715 km) Main: 304 mi (489 km) East Branch: 140 mi (230 km) |
| Width | 110 ft (34 m) max. |
| Height | 40 ft (12 m) max. |
| Capacity | 13,100 cu ft/s (370 m3/s) max |
| History | |
| Construction start | 1963 |
| Opened |
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| Location | |
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| References | |
| [3] | |
The Governor Edmund G. Brown California Aqueduct is a system of canals, tunnels, and pipelines that conveys water collected from the Sierra Nevada Mountains and valleys of Northern and Central California to Southern California.[4] Named after California Governor Edmund Gerald "Pat" Brown Sr., the over 400-mile (640 km) aqueduct is the principal feature of the California State Water Project.
The aqueduct begins at the Clifton Court Forebay at the southwestern corner of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta. The aqueduct then heads south, eventually splitting into three branches: the Coastal Branch, ending at Lake Cachuma in Santa Barbara County; the West Branch, conveying water to Castaic Lake in Los Angeles County; and the East Branch, connecting Silverwood Lake in San Bernardino County.
The Department of Water Resources (DWR) operates and maintains the California Aqueduct, including one pumped-storage hydroelectric plant, Gianelli Power Plant. Gianelli is located at the base of San Luis Dam, which forms San Luis Reservoir, the largest offstream reservoir in the United States.[5]
The Castaic Power Plant, while similar and which is owned and operated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, is located on the northern end of Castaic Lake, while Castaic Dam is located at the southern end.
Land subsidence has occurred along the aqueduct and has had a steady increase since its relatively stable state post construction of the aqueduct.
- ^ East Branch Aqueduct
- ^ California Aqueduct
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey – GNIS (January 19, 1981). "Feature Detail Report: Governor Edmund G Brown California Aqueduct". U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved March 19, 2009.
- ^ DWR Public Affairs Office (2005). "State Water Project Today". Department of Water Resources, State of California. Archived from the original on June 10, 2007. Retrieved March 19, 2009.
- ^ "SWP Facilities". water.ca.gov. Retrieved March 3, 2022.