Water rights and flooding protection have been in dispute between Yolo and Lake Counties since the late 19th century.

The Yolo County Flood Control & Water Conservation District ("Yolo") has "an 1855 priority right to divert the natural flow of Cache Creek, and 1912 priority right to store waters in Clear Lake to elevation 7.56 feet Rumsey Gauge for later release and beneficial use."
Various decrees attempt to ensure a balance between the needs of the two counties, although high-water conditions can cause temporary disagreements.
 Under the Solano Decree Yolo currently holds appropriative rights for up to 150,000 acre feet (190,000,000 m³) per year from Clear Lake, and all the water from the Indian Valley dam.

The Cache Creek Dam on the South Fork of Cache Creek, five miles (8 km) downstream from Clear Lake, was built to increase Clear Lake's capacity and to regulate outflow for downstream users of Cache Creek water.
The dam was later modified to include a 3 MW hydroelectric plant.
The stream has a relatively small capacity, less than a quarter of the amount the dam is able to release.
There is a rock ledge a mile and a half downstream of Clear Lake, called the Grigsby Riffle, near the bridge on State Route 53.
This ledge restricts the amount of water that can flow through at that point.
The limited capacity of the stream means that it takes a very long time to drain excess flow from Clear Lake, increasing the chance of flooding around the lake.
The bottleneck is seen as a backup to prevent flooding downstream and Yolo County is prohibited from increasing the capacity of the channel by the Gopcevic and Bemmerly Decrees.

The Indian Valley dam on the North Fork of Cache Creek forms Indian Valley Reservoir.
The dam's primary purpose is water storage for irrigation, but a 3.3 MW hydroelectric plant was built to take advantage of the falling water.

The Capay Diversion Dam, west of Capay, diverts water for distribution throughout Yolo County using a 175-mile (280 km) network of canals.
 For example, water is pumped into the Winters Canal, which runs south and ends in a reservoir near Winters.
This feeds into Willows Canal, which runs east for miles alongside Putah Creek—the water of which is used primarily by Solano County.
The 474 foot long, 15 foot high concrete dam was constructed in 1914.
In 1994 its apron was raised with a 5-foot high inflatable bladder (the "longest in the world"), which can be raised or lowered in 30 minutes.
It underwent substantial repairs starting in 2009.
Water rights and flooding protection have been in dispute between Yolo and Lake Counties since the late 19th century.
The Yolo County Flood Control & Water Conservation District ("Yolo") has "an 1855 priority right to divert the natural flow of Cache Creek, and 1912 priority right to store waters in Clear Lake to elevation 7.56 feet Rumsey Gauge for later release and beneficial use." Various decrees attempt to ensure a balance between the needs of the two counties, although high-water conditions can cause temporary disagreements.  Under the Solano Decree Yolo currently holds appropriative rights for up to 150,000 acre feet (190,000,000 m³) per year from Clear Lake, and all the water from the Indian Valley dam.
The Cache Creek Dam on the South Fork of Cache Creek, five miles (8 km) downstream from Clear Lake, was built to increase Clear Lake's capacity and to regulate outflow for downstream users of Cache Creek water. The dam was later modified to include a 3 MW hydroelectric plant. The stream has a relatively small capacity, less than a quarter of the amount the dam is able to release. There is a rock ledge a mile and a half downstream of Clear Lake, called the Grigsby Riffle, near the bridge on State Route 53. This ledge restricts the amount of water that can flow through at that point. The limited capacity of the stream means that it takes a very long time to drain excess flow from Clear Lake, increasing the chance of flooding around the lake. The bottleneck is seen as a backup to prevent flooding downstream and Yolo County is prohibited from increasing the capacity of the channel by the Gopcevic and Bemmerly Decrees.
The Indian Valley dam on the North Fork of Cache Creek forms Indian Valley Reservoir. The dam's primary purpose is water storage for irrigation, but a 3.3 MW hydroelectric plant was built to take advantage of the falling water.
The Capay Diversion Dam, west of Capay, diverts water for distribution throughout Yolo County using a 175-mile (280 km) network of canals.  For example, water is pumped into the Winters Canal, which runs south and ends in a reservoir near Winters. This feeds into Willows Canal, which runs east for miles alongside Putah Creek—the water of which is used primarily by Solano County. The 474 foot long, 15 foot high concrete dam was constructed in 1914. In 1994 its apron was raised with a 5-foot high inflatable bladder (the "longest in the world"), which can be raised or lowered in 30 minutes. It underwent substantial repairs starting in 2009.
Cache Creek (Sacramento River tributary)