The Contra Costa Canal is a aqueduct in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Its construction began in 1937, with delayed completion until 1948 due to World War II shortages in labor and materials. A portion of the canal's right of way has been developed as the Contra Costa Canal Regional Trail, a biking and walking trail, and is managed by the

East Bay Regional Park District The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) is a special district operating in Alameda County and Contra Costa County, California, within the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay Area. It maintains and operates a system of regional parks which ...

Canal uses

The Contra Costa Canal is used for agricultural, industrial, and municipal water purposes. Due to the water used for water supply for different cities, the canal is fenced off from the public. The canal provides water for the largest urban contractor of the Central Valley Project, the

Contra Costa Water District The Contra Costa Water District (CCWD) is an agency that was created in 1936 to supply water for consumers in eastern Contra Costa, California. It is now one of the largest water districts in California, serving about 500,000 people in Central and ...

. It is part of the Central Valley Project managed by the

United States Bureau of Reclamation The Bureau of Reclamation, and formerly the United States Reclamation Service, is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees water resource management, specifically as it applies to the oversight and opera ...

to divert Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta water from Rock Slough as far as

Martinez, California Martinez ( Spanish: ''Martínez'') is a city and the county seat of Contra Costa County, California, United States, in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Located on the southern shore of the Carquinez Strait, the city's popul ...

in Central

Contra Costa County ) of the San Francisco Bay , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivision_name1 = California , subdivision_type2 ...

Canal management

Contra Costa Water District

Distributes water from the canal to: *

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

Bay Point Bay Point may refer to: * Bay Point (Antarctica) * Bay Point, California * Bay Point (former settlement), California * Bay Point, Florida (disambiguation) * Bay Point (South Carolina), in Charleston, South Carolina's harbor; see Mitchelville * ...

* Clyde *

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony) * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...

* Knightsen * Martinez * Oakley * Pacheco * Pittsburg * Pleasant Hill * Walnut Creek

Los Vaqueros Reservoir

Los Vaqueros Reservoir is an off-stream water storage passed in 1988 by voters to store water from the canal for purposes to improve water quality.

Contra Loma Reservoir

A 2,000 acre-foot reservoir built in Antioch as an emergency supply for Contra Costa Canal.

East Bay Regional Park District

Inline canal water screens

An inline canal water screen was installed to remove debris including moss, grass, hyacinth, and tumbleweeds.

Social impact

A three-day water arrival celebration from Contra Costa Canal to the City of Pittsburg was held in 1940. Per the Canal's link to the city, Pittsburg became desirable due to its drinkable water, resulting in building of homes and increasing population in the area. Local citizens were satisfied with the new arrangement because of the increase of water quality that exceeded their local water reserves.

Public concerns

Accidents and prevention

Eight people have drowned since 2000, causes ranging from trespassing to car accidents. Many people drown due to falling into the canal and having trouble getting out because the canal has a steep build and the sides are slippery. The water current reaches up to 12 mph, and can take people through areas of 6–8 feet of depth, and 18 feet wide. Ways to stop trespassing and reduce deaths in the canal include putting up chain link fences around the canal, placement of warning signs, childhood education, pamphlet distribution, phone numbers to report people, and handing out fines from $25-$500. However, people still jump or cut fences to get into canal for all different kinds of activities.

Safety education

The Contra Costa Water District has created and uploaded a video on YouTube and on their site name
“Staying Safe Along the Contra Costa Canal”
for public viewing. Safety drills are held to train canal workers in rescuing people from the canal in case of an emergency. There are also canal patrol officers.

Recreation

Contra Costa Canal Trail

The trail runs along the Contra Costa Canal through central Costa County, connecting regional trails. It connects schools, commercial areas, and public transportation. It was created by Contra Costa Water District, Bureau of Reclamation and the Park District. It is publicly accessible by bikers, runners, pedestrians, and equestrians.

Wildlife

Fish, crawdads, geese, ducks, egrets, muskrats, beavers, otters, and wild pigs have been spotted in the canal.

References

*
Contra Costa Canal Trail
{{Authority control Aqueducts in California Bike paths in the San Francisco Bay Area Transportation buildings and structures in Contra Costa County, California Geography of Contra Costa County, California Trails in the San Francisco Bay Area United States Bureau of Reclamation Central Valley Project