This spring marked the fifth anniversary of the California EcoRestore initiative, a coordinated effort across state agencies to deliver 30,000 acres of restored fish and wildlife habitat in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, an immensely important landscape that five years ago only had 5 percent of its native habitat remaining.
DWR Updates
![Aerial view of Pyramid Dam.](/-/media/DWR-Images/State-Water-Project/FL_Pyramid_Dam-0077_10_15_2019.jpg?mw=200&hash=45A6A1338BB27B217E0B752BD24F6F74)
The California Department of Water Resources, Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD) oversees the California Dam Safety Program that regulates approximately 1,250 dams in California. At the forefront of DSOD’s oversight is public safety.
![Boats on Lake Oroville.](/-/media/DWR-Images/Oroville/FL_Oroville_0648_06_07_2019.jpg?mw=200&hash=33ABA311982940E381C15CC33E4CC19B)
Lake Oroville Community Update for May 29, 2020.
![Researchers at Department of Water Resources (DWR) Division of Environmental Services dissect Delta smelt as part of a study to monitor the effects of introducing hatchery smelt into the wild. The study placed 360 smelt in metal enclosures in a channel off the Sacramento River for one month.](/-/media/DWR-Images/Placeholder-images/blog/KG_smelt_study_21819_03_27_19.jpg?mw=200&hash=6F8ECEE05EC0D9258495AFEA6C975450)
A scientist within the Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) Division of Environmental Services (DES) has found a way to use gene-editing technology, most recently used for COVID-19 diagnostic testing, for ecological monitoring of threatened fish.
![Department of Water Resources engineering geologists Aaron Cuthbertson (right) and Kimberly Bowman measure groundwater levels at a designated monitoring well, one of thousands of wells in California used to generate groundwater level change reports.](/-/media/DWR-Images/Groundwater/KG_well_monitoring_54891_03_10_20.jpg?mw=200&hash=4E297C973CC74A50FBFE0F6644C8CBC9)
Groundwater is an important resource for Californians because rain and snowfall levels can vary dramatically from year to year. Groundwater provides 40 percent of the state’s water supply in normal years and up to 60 percent in dry years when surface water in lakes, rivers and reservoirs may be reduced.
![The California Department of Water Resources assesses the gated and emergency spillway for the Pyramid Dam Modernization project in Los Angeles County, California. Photo taken October 15, 2019.](/-/media/DWR-Images/Lake-Pyramid/FL_Pyramid_Dam-1093_10_15_2019.jpg?mw=200&hash=BDF8928B33F5F12A2A19E3738FFDF07D)
As part of an effort to modernize Pyramid Dam located in Los Angeles County, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) recently completed assessments for the dam’s gated and emergency spillways.
The Department of Water Resources has released California's first-ever greenhouse gas emissions performance metric to help the Department reduce its carbon footprint and help the public track the ‘carbon intensity’ of water moving across California.
![An aerial view of Enterprise Bridge along Lumpkin Road.](/-/media/DWR-Images/Oroville/FL_Oroville_0208_06_07_2019.jpg?mw=200&hash=50BDE217484ECBC8439C25940CB23802)
Lake Oroville Community Update for May 22, 2020.
![Red-tailed hawk on ledge](/-/media/DWR-Images/Birds/FL_Suisun_Marsh-9152.jpg?mw=200&hash=E5EB96E72C51392A06A656FABEC9AE9C)
While adapting to social distancing guidelines and recommendations surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, Department of Water Resources (DWR) staff have been continuing reliable water delivery to 27 million people through the State Water Project (SWP).
![State Water Project Acting Deputy Director Ted Craddock (center) holds Outstanding Leader award presented by the American Society of Civil Engineers leaders in March of 2020. The Oroville Dam Spillways Reconstruction Project won the Outstanding Project award.](/-/media/DWR-Images/People/OPAL-Awards-2020-84.jpg?mw=200&hash=336EC5830A0894F4515EC8126ECD8B9C)
The Oroville Dam Spillways Reconstruction Project and Department of Water Resources State Water Project Deputy Director Ted Craddock, were recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) with the Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) awards in Washington, D.C.