About Us

Reclamation District No. 1601 - Twitchell Island, is located in the southern portion of Sacramento County and was formed on January 12, 1914, under the general reclamation district laws. The District was created through the combination of Reclamation District No. s 117 and 559. Twitchell Island is bounded by the San Joaquin River on the south, Threemile Slough on the west and Sevenmile Slough on the north and east. The District contains 3,636 acres.

The natural ground elevations within the District slope from north to south and vary from elevation at sea level along the west half of the north boundary of the District to elevation 18 feet below sea level near the center of the District. The soil type in the District consists of a mixture of fine sediment and peat. Peat soil is made of a dark substance formed by partial decay of plants in wet ground. The productive lands within Reclamation District No. 1601 are being used extensively for agriculture. The State of California Department of Water Resources has constructed and maintains a large wetland complex and other subsidence reversal land plots within the District. Other uses include grazing for cattle and sheep and natural gas production with numerous gas wells. Recreational use is included with a marina along Sevenmile Slough.

Reclamation District No. 1601 - Twitchell Island is responsible for the operation and maintenance (O&M) of the levees around the perimeter of the District. The levees for which the District is responsible for consists of 1.99 miles of Federal Project levee along Three Mile Slough, 5.08 miles of Non-Project levee along Sevenmile Slough and 4.84 miles of Non-Project levee along the San Joaquin River for a total of 11.91 levee miles of levee.

The main drainage canals and seepage, levee toe ditches and main terminal drainage pumps are also operated and maintained by the District. The surface runoff created by rainwater, irrigation tailwater and seepage water is collected and conveyed to the District’s terminal drainage pump station with three electric pumps that convey the drainage water back to the San Joaquin River.

Staff

Board Trustees

Barry Sgarrella is a land and solar developer, civil engineer and general contractor.  He is CEO of SolAgra Corporation – a solar development firm.  Barry has owned a home on Twitchell Island since 1987 and has served as a Trustee of Reclamation District 1601 since 2005.

Dave Huston is a Senior Engineer with the Department of Water Resources.  He works in the North Central Region Office in the Division of Regional Assistance and is manager of the Flow Monitoring and Special Studies Section which operates a network of tidal flow monitoring stations within the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.  Dave has served as a Trustee of Reclamation District 1601 since 2019.

Mr. Jasbir Gill is a Senior Right of Way Agent for the CA Department of Water Resources.  Currently works in the Real Estate Branch of the Division of Engineering.  Mr. Gill has experience in real estate from working in the private sector for more than 15 years.  Mr. Gill has served as a Trustee of Reclamation District 1601 since 2023