Bill Jones Pumping Plant,[2] which is the intake for the Delta-Mendota Canal, part of the Central Valley Project.

[3] The distance from the channel to the Jones Pumping Plant is about 50 miles (80 km).

[1] The facility was built to augment the flow of the Sacramento River through the Delta to the Jones Pumping Plant.

The gates close when the river floods, specifically when the flow on the Sacramento River reaches 20,000 cubic feet (570 m3) per second,[6] to prevent flooding on the San Joaquin River, and if the amount of water is so low that the Central Valley Project cannot deliver water.

[5] The winter closure of the facility was requested by a consortium of wildlife protection agencies, including the U.S.