The 1902 Reclamation Act and the Orland Project.
The Reclamation Act of 1902, also known as the Newlands Act, authorized the federal government to fund large-scale irrigation projects to promote agricultural development in the arid West. Following its passage, the newly formed U.S. Reclamation Service launched extensive investigations in the Sacramento Valley to identify regions where water storage
The 1928 Completion of Stony Gorge Dam.
The completion of the Stony Gorge Dam in 1928 marked a transformative era for the Orland Unit Water Users' Association, providing the critical storage capacity needed to sustain the region's expanding agricultural footprint. By adding roughly 50,000 acre-feet of water storage, this innovative Ambursen-type dam allowed the Association to move beyond the limita