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Omochumne-Hartnell Water District
Location: Sacramento County
Physical Address: 7513 Sloughhouse Road Elk Grove, CA 95624
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 211 Wilton, CA 95693
EMAIL: omochumnehartnel@aol.com
Phone: (916) 682-5958
Fax: (916) 682-5958
Meetings: Board meets second Thursday every other month at10:00
am. at 7513
Sloughhouse Road, Elk Grove, CA 95624. Please contact the District office to
verify meeting dates and times.
District Size: 30,000 Acres
Year District Formed: 1953
District Overview
Omochumne-Hartnell Water District has historically purchased and managed supplemental water
from the Central Valley Project for the benefit of District agricultural users adjacent to the
Cosumnes River and Deer Creek. In recent years, however, the number of riparian diverters has
decreased. Four flashboard dams that historically supported diversions are now maintained and
operated by the District to increase the wetted perimeter of the river to affect greater
groundwater recharge. The District is committed to working with the Southeast Sacramento County
Agricultural Water Authority to develop an effective management strategy that protects its member’s
interests, the resources of the Cosumnes River, and meets the future water needs of the region.
Board Members
| Ronald Lowry, Chairman | Leland Schneider |
| Kurt Kautz | Thomas Young Jr. |
| Robert Mahon | |
Projects
Blodgett Dam Restoration and Fish Passage:
The Omochumne-Hartnell Water District (OHWD) operates four flashboard dams on the lower Cosumnes
River. These dams operate to increase percolation to groundwater by increasing the wetted perimeter
of the river channel during periods of low flow. Blodgett Dam, one of OHWDs four dams, was heavily
damaged and was a barrier to fish passage after the flood of 1997. The restoration of Blodgett Dam
returned the dam to a functional state and provided a boulder weir fish ladder enabling migration of
salmon and other fish species that utilize the river.
Cosumnes River Flow Monitoring:
In 2003 the Omochumne-Hartnell Water District initiated a streamflow monitoring program for the lower
Cosumnes River. The monitoring program collects both streamflow and temperature data at two locations
on the Cosumnes River between Rancho Murieta and State Highway 99. The purpose of the program is to:
- Collect streamflow data to develop a better understanding of flow conditions
- Develop information to better characterize groundwater recharge conditions
- Collect temperature data needed to comply with National Marine Fisheries Service’s requirements for
operation of the District’s flashboard dams and
- Implement a monitoring program that will assist the District and the Southeast Sacramento County
Agricultural Water Authority in managing future conjunctive use programs for the Cosumnes River.
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