The Contra Costa Water District (CCWD) Board of Directors has unanimously awarded the construction contract for the dam enlargement phase of the Los Vaqueros Expansion Project to Barnard Construction Company. Barnard was the lowest responsible bidder of seven contractors that submitted bids.

The $35,355,125 contract is an important milestone in the expansion project and involves increasing the existing Los Vaqueros dam height by 34 feet. Construction is expected to begin in early 2011.

When the entire $120 million project is completed in 2012, the reservoir’s capacity will increase from 100,000 acre-feet to 160,000 acre-feet.

“The district and many other local, state and federal agencies have been working on this project since 2001,” said CCWD Board President Joseph L. Campbell. “In these times of uncertainty for the Delta, an expansion of Los Vaqueros Reservoir will improve water supplies and water quality, create jobs and help the environment.”

Other elements of the expansion project to be bid in subsequent phases include relocating the Marina, realigning trails to reflect the new shoreline, upgrading the pump station that fills the reservoir, and establishing mitigation areas.

The additional water storage will help ensure high-quality water deliveries to customers, reliability during drought and protections for Delta fisheries and the environment.

The Bureau of Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources funded the planning phase of the project, and CCWD is debt-funding the design and construction costs.