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Eastern San Joaquin Groundwater Basin Groundwater Management Plan 2.2.5 San Joaquin River The San Joaquin River originates in the Sierra Nevada and enters the San Joaquin Valley at Friant. The lower San Joaquin River is the section of the river from its confluence with the Merced River north to Vernalis. The lower San Joaquin River encompasses a drainage area of approximately 13,400 square miles. The majority of the flow in the lower San Joaquin River is derived from inflow from the Merced, Tuolumne and Stanislaus Rivers as the upper San Joaquin River contributes virtually no inflow during the summer months. 2.2.6 Other Rivers Other rivers that have some relevance to discussions on water resources but are not located in San Joaquin County are the Tuolumne River, Cosumnes River and Dry Creek. The Tuolumne River originates in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and is the largest tributary to the San Joaquin River. It has a watershed of approximately 1,500 square miles and an unimpaired runoff of approximately 1.8 million af. Flows in the lower reaches of the Tuolumne River are regulated by New Don Pedro Dam, which was constructed in 1971 and is owned by Turlock and Modesto Irrigation Districts. New Don Pedro Reservoir has a capacity of approximately 2 million of and is operated for irrigation, hydroelectric generation, fish/wildlife protection, recreation, and flood control. Irrigation water is diverted downstream from New Don Pedro at La Grange into the Modesto Main Canal and Turlock Main Canal. The City and County of San Francisco operate several facilities in the upper water of the Tuolumne, namely O'Shaughnessy Dam at Hetch Hetchy Valley, Lake Eleanor and Cherry Lake. These facilities are operated for municipal and industrial supply as well as hydropower. The Cosumnes River is a tributary of the Mokelumne River. It meets the Mokelumne near the town of Thornton and has a watershed area of approximately 540 miles. Flows are primarily rain/runoff-derived. Dry Creek is a relatively minor tributary to the Mokelumne River and forms the northern boundary between San Joaquin and Sacramento Counties. The Cosumnes, Dry Creek, Mokelumne and Calaveras Rivers are collectively referred to as the Eastside Streams. 2.2.7 Surface Water Quality Surface water quality for San Joaquin County water sources can be categorized as either an eastside or Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta source. Eastside rivers and streams are sources of high water quality with generally low total dissolved solids (TDS) loads. Reservoir storage and regulated flow on the Mokelumne, Calaveras and Stanislaus River systems reduces suspended solids as these rivers flow through San Joaquin County. However, during flood events and times of elevated flows, TDS and suspended solid levels can increase. The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta water quality is heavily influenced by the operations of the Central Valley and State Water Projects. Generally, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta water quality is best during the winter and spring months and poorer through the irrigation season and early fall. Delta Water quality is also very dependant on the ability for higher quality Sacramento River water to dilute poorer quality San Joaquin water in the South and Central Delta. Presently, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board is undertaking Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) proceedings for low dissolved oxygen (DO) in the Stockton Deep Water Ship Channel and salinity and Boron in the Lower San Joaquin River. The San Joaquin River in the South Delta, experiences periods of severely degraded water quality. The SWRCB has set flow and water quality objectives at Vernalis, located just Northeastern San Joaquin County Section 2 Groundwater Banking Authority 44 Hydrogeology