Under the Central Valley Project Improvement Act, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is required to provide water to wildlife refuges in California. The purpose of the Gray Lodge Water Supply Project is to convey additional Central Valley Project water for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area via the Biggs-West Gridley Water District’s conveyance system to meet the wildlife management goals of the refuge. The additional water is conveyed through a system of existing canals varying in capacity from 30 cfs to 850 cfs, and totaling 20 miles in length.

To rehabilitate the canal system, the canals’ configurations, structures, hydraulics, and construction methods were carefully considered to limit the impacts to Giant Garter Snake and the local landowners by utilizing the full extent of the infrastructure already in-place, thus minimizing the foot print. As currently designed, the project will replace over 60 structures and improve 20 miles of canal. Upon completion, the project will deliver additional water to Gray Lodge, while significantly modernizing and improving the district’s operations. The project has consisted of providing a full array of consulting services for the district including environmental documentation, permitting, survey, geotechnical, design, and land acquisition services.