Managing water resources and habitat in the Sacramento Valley

The Sacramento River Settlement Contractors (SRSC) is a partnership of 145 agricultural and municipal senior water rights holders in the Sacramento Valley that manages water resources for cities, rural communities, farms, fish and wildlife and their habitats.

The group protects and preserve members’ water rights, which were established prior to construction of the Central Valley Project (CVP) and Shasta Dam. The Sacramento River Settlement Contracts were established with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to identify how much water contractors can divert on the Sacramento River; they are a fundamental operating component of the CVP and the statewide water system.

In addition to protecting water rights, the SRSC funds environmental improvements that support wildlife and their habitat. The group develops river major restoration projects such as habitat enhancement for salmon spawning and rearing, fish screens, fish food production and flow agreements.

Who We Are

The Sacramento River Settlement Contractors include irrigation and reclamation districts, mutual water companies, partnerships, corporations, and individuals representing approximately 450,000 acres of irrigated agriculture in the western Sacramento Valley. They hold pre-1914 appropriative water rights, some of the oldest in California.

Under the contract, members are entitled to about 2.1 million acre-feet of water per year in the Sacramento River from April to October. By specifying the timing of the SRSC diversions, the Bureau of Reclamation can schedule its releases and deliveries of water from the Central Valley Project and Contractors are more certain of their water supplies in summer and during drought.

The five largest rights holders on the Sacramento River under the contract are Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District, Reclamation District 108, Sutter Mutual Water Company, Anderson-Cottonwood Irrigation District and Natomas Central Mutual Water Company.

SRSC is a 501(c) (6) nonprofit mutual benefit corporation organized under the California Nonprofit Mutual Benefit Corporation Law.

What We Do

The Sacramento River Settlement Contracts were established in 1964 and were renewed in 2005 for a 40-year term to reflect environmental conditions and the status of the system.

As part of its mission to protect the rights of its members, the SRSC also:

Additionally, the SRSC develops restoration projects on the river dedicated to salmon protection and recovery. SRSC partners with the National Marine Fisheries Service on a variety of species recovery actions and collaborative science investigations, including the Sacramento River Mainstem Integrated Management Plan, Sacramento River Science Partnership, Science Work Plan and water infrastructure planning.

Basin-wide planning also helps meet the water supply needs in members’ service areas, including consideration of new surface water storage and conjunctive use projects such as Sites Reservoir, an environmentally beneficial, off-river reservoir that will create an additional 1.5 million acre-feet of storage for dry periods.

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