San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority

Serving our valley’s water needs!

 

 

Our History
Text Box: The San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors hold some of the oldest water rights in the state, dating back to the late 1800's. The rights were established by Henry Miller of the legendary Miller and Lux cattle empire. In 1871, Henry Miller constructed canals to divert water from the San Joaquin and North Kings rivers for irrigation of his vast acreage. Today, Henry Miller's descendants still own portions of his original estate, and  several of the original Miller and Lux canals are operated by the Exchange Contractors.  Henry Miller’s canals served the irrigation needs of his estate, but for more growth on the East side of the San Joaquin Valley to occur, more water was needed. When construction of Friant Dam was under consideration, feasibility studies showed that irrigation development of the Friant project between Chowchilla and Bakersfield could only occur if water rights subject to the Exchange Contractors pre-decision could be diverted from the San Joaquin River at Friant Dam and used in these newly irrigated areas. To accomplish this in the 1930's the United States asked the Exchange Contractors to agree to "exchange" their right to divert San Joaquin and Kings River water for guaranteed deliveries of "substitute" water from the Sacramento River by means of the Delta-Mendota Canal and other facilities of the United States. Hence the name, "San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors." In  normal years the Exchange Contractors are guaranteed 100 percent of their contractual water allotment (840,000 acre feet), and in critical years the amount is 75 percent (650,000 acre feet).  However the Exchange Contractors did not abandon their San Joaquin River water rights. Instead, they agreed not to exercise those San Joaquin and Kings River water rights if guaranteed water deliveries continued through the Delta-Mendota Canal or through the United States Facilities. In the event that the Bureau is unable to make its contracted deliveries of substitute  water to the Exchange Contractors, the Exchange Contractors have reserved the right to return to the flows of the San Joaquin River to satisfy their historic water rights.