The Tulare Irrigation District Seaborn Reservoir Project is planned for the Seaborn property in unincorporated Tulare County, about one mile southeast of the City of Woodlake. The property is located in the Kaweah Subbasin of the Tulare Lake Hydrogeologic Basin. Water from the Kaweah River flows from Sequoia National Park through Lake Kaweah, past the Project site, and eventually drains into the Tulare Lake area and nearby waterways.
The Project has received a Watershed Planning Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS). This funding will help TID study and plan the best way to reduce flooding in the Project area. As part of the grant, the District must complete a Watershed Plan and Environmental Assessment (EA). This process will compare different project options, identify the best solution, and recommend the next steps. The planning process will follow all federal and state environmental laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
The preferred plan is to turn about 290 acres of the Seaborn property into a surface water storage reservoir. The Project also includes creating a native habitat area around the reservoir to support local wildlife. The site was previously used as a sand and gravel mine, which stopped operating in 2019. Developing the reservoir is part of the site’s approved reclamation plan. The reservoir would be built on the north side of the St. Johns River, near McKays Point where the Lower Kaweah River and St. Johns River separate.
The Project is designed to improve water storage, increase the reliability of water supplies, and help protect local groundwater. During wet years, extra water from the Kaweah River and Friant-Kern Canal is often lost because there are not enough places to store it. The new reservoir would capture this excess water for later use during the irrigation season, when water demand is highest. It would also support groundwater recharge, helping the District meet the goals of California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
In addition to improving water supplies, the Project would create new wildlife habitat around the reservoir. It would also help reduce flood risks for communities downstream by diverting up to 150 cubic feet per second (cfs) of water into the reservoir during high-flow events. Using more stored surface water is also expected to improve groundwater levels, which can improve groundwater quality and reduce land subsidence.
The USDA-NRCS grant will fund the first phase of the Project, including preparation of the Watershed Plan, environmental review documents, permit applications, preliminary engineering designs, and an economic analysis. Once this planning phase is complete and approved by NRCS, the District can move forward with final design and construction during the second phase of the Project.