DRAFT 1 DRAFT TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM Butte Slough Existing Water Resources Information PREPARED FOR: Tim Johnson/California Rice Commission PREPARED BY: John Dickey/PlanTierra Summer Bundy/CH2M HILL DATE: October 19, 2011 Overview The purpose of this memorandum is to compile existing information about the water resources of Butte Slough. Butte Slough begins about 1.7 miles south of the Butte Sink and extends to the northern extent of the Sutter Bypass. Butte Slough is a named feature in the U.S. Geologic Surveys National Hydrography Dataset (NHD). Butte Slough is approximately nine miles in length, as measured from the NHD. The reach is shown in orange in Figure 1. Figure 2 provides an aerial satellite image of the slough and its vicinity. Historic Conditions Prior to European settlement, Butte Slough was a major flood outlet that connected the Sacramento River to the low-lying Sutter Basin. The Butte and Sutter basins (as well as other lowland basins) were historically natural backswamp areas outside of natural river levees. Under natural conditions, the basins were inundated when floods broke through natural levees. Floodwaters flowed from the Sacramento River into the Sutter Basin, creating shallow wetlands. (James and Singer, 2008.) The outlet of the Sacramento River into Butte Slough was originally dammed in 1871, by a land owner seeking to reclaim marshlands in the Sutter Basin. A series of dam failures and reconstructions followed over the next five years, until the District Court of California enjoined reconstruction. (James and Singer, 2008.) The current configuration of Butte Slough was constructed following the 1917 adoption of the Flood Control Act, which initiated the Sacramento River Flood Control Project. Operational Narrative At the Sacramento Rivers historic confluence with Butte Creek, there is now a structure known as the Butte Slough Outfall Gates. This area is also known as Ward's Landing. Butte Slough begins where Butte Creek flows into its head end, just east and upstream on Butte Creek from the Butte Slough Outfall Gates. Butte Slough flows generally southeast from Butte Creek to the East-West Diversion Weir or Long Bridge on Butte Road at the head of the Sutter Bypass, just upstream of Highway 20, near Tarke, CA. There are 26 small pump operators along its length, although some of these may lie along Butte Creek north of the head of Butte Slough, in what is called the Butte Slough Area (which extends to Colusa Shooting/Tarke Weir).
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DRAFT 1
D R A F T T E C H N I C A L M E M O R A N D U M
Butte Slough Existing Water Resources Information PREPARED FOR: Tim Johnson/California Rice Commission
PREPARED BY: John Dickey/PlanTierra Summer Bundy/CH2M HILL
DATE: October 19, 2011
Overview The purpose of this memorandum is to compile existing information about the water resources of Butte Slough. Butte Slough begins about 1.7 miles south of the Butte Sink and extends to the northern extent of the Sutter Bypass. Butte Slough is a named feature in the U.S. Geologic Survey�’s National Hydrography Dataset (NHD). Butte Slough is approximately nine miles in length, as measured from the NHD. The reach is shown in orange in Figure 1. Figure 2 provides an aerial satellite image of the slough and its vicinity.
Historic Conditions Prior to European settlement, Butte Slough was a major flood outlet that connected the Sacramento River to the low-lying Sutter Basin. The Butte and Sutter basins (as well as other lowland basins) were historically natural backswamp areas outside of natural river levees. Under natural conditions, the basins were inundated when floods broke through natural levees. Floodwaters flowed from the Sacramento River into the Sutter Basin, creating shallow wetlands. (James and Singer, 2008.)
The outlet of the Sacramento River into Butte Slough was originally dammed in 1871, by a land owner seeking to �“reclaim�” marshlands in the Sutter Basin. A series of dam failures and reconstructions followed over the next five years, until the District Court of California enjoined reconstruction. (James and Singer, 2008.)
The current configuration of Butte Slough was constructed following the 1917 adoption of the Flood Control Act, which initiated the Sacramento River Flood Control Project.
Operational Narrative At the Sacramento River�’s historic confluence with Butte Creek, there is now a structure known as the Butte Slough Outfall Gates. This area is also known as Ward's Landing. Butte Slough begins where Butte Creek flows into its head end, just east and upstream on Butte Creek from the Butte Slough Outfall Gates. Butte Slough flows generally southeast from Butte Creek to the East-West Diversion Weir or Long Bridge on Butte Road at the head of the Sutter Bypass, just upstream of Highway 20, near Tarke, CA. There are 26 small pump operators along its length, although some of these may lie along Butte Creek north of the head of Butte Slough, in what is called the �“Butte Slough Area�” (which extends to Colusa Shooting/Tarke Weir).
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FIGURE 1 Butte Slough and Vicinity
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FIGURE 2 Butte Slough and Vicinity - Satellite
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Butte Slough has two modes of operation, as follows:
1. Normal and low flow, in which Butte Creek flows into Butte Slough, which then flows to the Sutter Bypass. Under these conditions, practically all of Butte Creek flows to the east into Butte Slough toward the Sutter Bypass. The segment of Butte Creek downstream of the confluence with Butte Slough, and upstream of the Butte Slough Outfall Gates on the Sacramento River is stagnant backwater, and the Outfall Gates are closed (being above Butte Creek�’s low and normal water level).
2. Flood flow, during which restricted flow capacity through Butte Slough raises the water level in the bottom reach of Butte Creek, which terminates at the Butte Slough Outfall Gates. The Butte Slough Outfall Gates are configured as a culvert through the levee with a one-way (flap) gate on the Sacramento River end. When the Sacramento River surface elevation is higher than Butte Creek�’s surface elevation, the flap remains shut, preventing outflow to the Sacramento River, and forcing 100% of the Butte Creek flow through Butte Slough toward the Bypass. This is the most common flood operation mode. Exceptionally, the opposite situation occurs, and some of the Butte Creek flood flows into the Sacramento River. In this case, Butte Creek flow splits at the confluence with Butte Slough, and flows east toward the Sutter Bypass, as well as west toward (and into) the Sacramento River.
In neither operation mode does water from Butte Slough enter the Sacramento River through the Butte Slough Outfall Gates. Thus, all Butte Slough flow ends up in the Sutter Bypass.
Immediately downstream, the Sutter Bypass is comprised of two distinct operational units, the east side and west side channels. The east side is comprised of many (approximately 43) small pump operators and its water control structures are operated by the California Department of Water Resources. The west side is comprised of two major gravity flow diversions and two small pump operators. Four of the five weirs located on the west side are privately owned and operated, the fifth weir, currently is owned and operated by the Sutter National Wildlife Refuge.
Flow A California Department of Water Resources gauging station, BSL1, exists in Butte Slough about 1.5 mi upstream of the point at which it discharges into Sutter Bypass. It measures the full flow of BS into the Bypass, since there is no further inflow to BS between the gauge and the Bypass. Flow is to the southeast. The Butte Slough Outfall Gates are also gauged at the station named BSO. The gauge locations are shown in Figure 3. The gauges report both stage and flow to DWR�’s CDEC (California Data Exchange Center) website.
1 Note that data from CDEC (where the gauge is designated BSL) is real-time & raw. Planning studies should employ QC'd data for the same gauge, designated A02972, on DWR's Water Data Library (WDL).
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FIGURE 3 Location of BSL Flow Station
Figure 4 shows the BSL flow data for water years 2005 through 2010. The data show that flow in the Slough occurs year round, with peak flow during the winter rainy season and May through November flow ranging from 730 to 190 cubic feet per second (cfs). Figure 5 shows the average monthly flow for the period of record 2005-2010.
FIGURE 4 BSL Average Daily Flow, Water Years 2005-2010
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1Nov
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c
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flow(cfs)
BSL Butte Slough at Meridian
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FIGURE 5 BSL Average Monthly Flow (Water Years 2005-2010)
Water Rights The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Electronic Water Rights Information Management System (eWRIMS) was queried for water rights licenses, permits, and applications on Butte Slough waters. Table 1 lists the water rights held on Butte Slough. There are a total of 10 water rights on Butte Slough, including seven licenses, one permit and two applications. The licenses and/or permits are attached. Of the licensed and permitted rights, all include irrigation as a purpose of use, one includes domestic use, and one includes recreation (duck ponds). With respect to the licensed water right that includes domestic use, it should be noted that the license was issued in 1934 and that the season of use is limited to April 1st through October 15th, which coincides with the irrigation season of use.
190 470
2020
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2240
6470 6500
730 540 440 420 2800
100020003000400050006000700080009000
Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep
averagemon
thlyflo
w(cfs)
Month
BSL Average Monthly Flow(Water Years 2005 2010)
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TABLE 1 Water Rights where Source Equals Butte Slough Application
Government(State/Municipal) 12/1/1978 36,000 I, R BUTTE CREEK,
BUTTE SLOUGH
S009201 Statement of Divand Use Claimed FEDORA FARMS
INC Individual 4/15/1977 0 BUTTE SLOUGH
S014324 Statement of Divand Use Claimed GUY G HARRIS Individual 2/22/1995 0 BUTTE SLOUGH
Purpose of Use Key: Irrigation (I), Domestic (D), Recreation (R)
SAC/BUTTE SLOUGH TM1 DRAFT 10-19-2011 8
References Butte Creek Watershed Project. 1998. Existing Conditions Report. Available at http://buttecreekwatershed.org/Watershed/ECR.htm
James, L.A. and Singer, M.B. 2008. Development of the Lower Sacramento Valley Flood-Control System: Historical Perspective. Natural Hazards Review, American Society of Civil Engineering, Volume 9, No. 3, pp. 125-135. August 2008.
SWRCB. 2011. Electronic Water Rights Information Management System.
USGS. National Hydrography Dataset (NHD). Available at http://nhd.usgs.gov/
