Ask the R-S: Here is where Sacramento River water is not going

Q. I keep reading that A.C.I.D. customers are not receiving water anymore, yet when I drive over the (Sacramento) River on the Market Street bridge, I see water going into the canal. Where is it going?

A. Before we answer that question, a little background on the Anderson-Cottonwood Irrigation District’s operations on the Sacramento River.

The district has a weir on the river it uses to raise the water level so water is diverted into the main irrigation canal on the south side of the river.

Each spring, the district usually installs boards in the dam to raise the water level in the river, which forms Lake Redding. In the fall, after irrigation season ends, the boards are removed and the water level behind the dam drops down again.

However, this has not been a typical year.

Because of the drought and low water levels in Lake Shasta, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation reduced the district’s water allocations to 18% of normal. The district determined that was not enough water to deliver to its 800 customers in southern Shasta and northern Tehama counties.

Because the amount the district was to receive had to be spread throughout the irrigation season, from April to October, it was not enough to fill the district's canals to the point water could flow all the way to Anderson and Cottonwood, A.C.I.D. board president Brenda Haynes said in an earlier interview.

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Also a concern was that the district canals aren't lined with concrete, which would have meant that the water would have soaked into the ground underneath before it reached customers' fields, she said.

So getting back to what is going on with the canal this year. Boards were still placed in the weir to raise the water level in the river.

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Haynes said the city of Redding pumps water from the river in that area. The river needs to be deeper in that area so the city’s pumps can pull in an adequate amount of  water, Haynes said.  

When the water level is raised and the district is irrigating, the water flows into a tunnel which empties into A.C.I.D.’s main canal near the Redding Rodeo Grounds.

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This year, however, the district has a drum gate blocking the entrance into the tunnel so water cannot flow into the canal.

Note to readers: This story resulted from a reader who submitted their question to Ask the Record Searchlight, a newsroom-wide initiative to connect with you. If you wondered about something happening in town or had questions on a North State issue, we want to hear about it. Send an email to RRSEdit@redding.com or post a comment in this story. We will do our best to answer. 

Damon Arthur is the Record Searchlight’s resources and environment reporter. He is part of a team of journalists who investigate wrongdoing and find the unheard voices to tell the stories of the North State. He welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834 by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on Twitter at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!