Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
“California's very existence is premised on epic liberties taken with
water—mostly water that fell as rain [and snow] in the north and was di-
verted to the south, thus precipitating the state's longest running political
wars,” wrote author Marc Reisner in
Cadillac Desert
. “Virtually every drop
of water in the state is put to some economic use before being allowed to
return to sea.” Indeed, many people still think that fresh water allowed to
make its way all the way through the delta to the bay and Pacific is
“wasted.”
With all the new water facilities on-line, feuds began to brew between
historical water rights holders upstream who had been taking water out of
neighboring creeks and rivers for decades, and downstream users who
wanted to divert more water elsewhere or out of the system altogether.
These conflicts and increasing demand inspired more public scrutiny of
water projects. Rivalries developed between major state and federal agen-
cies over control of the water. Fishermen and environmentalists began
fighting to claim part of the water supply for salmon and other estuary
species.
The extent of California's water diversion system was bound to affect
the fish. Not only did the dams block salmon from returning to their his-
torical spawning grounds in stream and river headwaters, but upstream
LEVEES UNDONE
Levees surround and make much of California's critical water-supply infra-
structure possible. These ramparts also prevent flooding of subsided delta
and bay lands. But no matter how strong or how tall the levees, floods con-
tinue to overrun the Central Valley. In 1982-1983, more than four times the
average volume of runoff passed through state rivers, bursting through levees
on three islands. In 1986, 650,000 cubic feet per second of water surged
past the city of Sacramento, enough in one day to meet the household needs
of three million to five million people. The surge breached levees on five is-
lands. During that year floods on all the major tributaries forced 50,000 peo-
ple to evacuate their homes in the valley, caused $150 million in damage,
and killed a dozen unfortunate people who happened to be in the wrong
place at the wrong time. Since 1990, winter floods have caused several major
levee breaches in the delta. Today, maintenance of delta and riverfront levees
has evolved into a Herculean responsibility, one that flood control agencies
have been unable to keep up with. Any day now, an earthquake—or, in the
coming years of sea level rise, a storm surge from runoff or tides—could leave
many low points in the watershed looking like New Orleans after Hurricane
Katrina.
