One of the District’s primary functions is to provide water to fulfill beneficial uses that include irrigation, groundwater recharge, provision of raw water for municipal use, and habitat support. The District’s water sources for these uses are Clear Lake and Indian Valley Reservoir. Water released from Cache Creek Dam (outlet for Clear Lake) and Indian Valley Dam flows into Cache Creek to the Capay Diversion Dam where it enters the canal headgates. How the District manages water from these sources for irrigation and flood control are described in the links below for Clear Lake and Indian Valley Water Management.
The District is also responsible for monitoring groundwater levels; in fact, when the District was created in 1951, one of its first duties was to measure and report on groundwater levels. Groundwater is a critical resource in Yolo County, with many farms, homes and businesses relying on groundwater as their only water source. The District has long been a leader in groundwater monitoring and a proponent of simultaneously managing surface and groundwater supplies, a practice known as conjunctive use. However, in 2014, the state passed the California Groundwater Management Act, which required local agencies to act collectively to manage regional groundwater resources. This law prompted the formation of the Yolo Subbasin Groundwater Agency (YSGA), a consortium of 26 member agencies, which has assumed the leadership role for groundwater monitoring and management in Yolo County. District management plays an integral role within the YSGA with General Manager Kristin Sicke currently fulfilling the role of Executive Officer.