Environment

California Drought

California is experiencing the worst drought in its history, and the effects are being felt nationwide. Thus water issues have taken center stage in much of our reporting and the nation's.As the New York Times says, "Water has long been a precious resource in California, the subject of battles pitting farmer against city-dweller and northern communities against southern ones; books and movies have been made about its scarcity and plunder. Water is central to the state’s identity and economy, and a symbol of how wealth and ingenuity have tamed nature ..."As we continue through a fourth year of extreme drought conditions, you'll find all of our reporting on the related issues (and that of NPR and other member stations) in this centralized place.

State Builds Emergency Barrier To Protect Water Supplies

North State Public Radio | By Amy Quinton

Published May 26, 2015 at 10:59 AM PDT

In a normal year, fresh water flowing from rivers into the Delta pushes back tidal ocean water. But in this fourth year of drought, not enough water is flowing down river, causing saltwater to intrude deep into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Doug Carlson, with the Department of Water Resources, says constructing a 750-foot wide temporary rock barrier across a channel in the Delta will prevent salt water contamination.

“If it were to be contaminated with a lot of saltwater then it would take maybe more water than we have in upstream reservoirs now to flush it out,” he said.

That would also make it difficult to export water south to cities and farms. But there are trade-offs with the $28 million project — not only will it affect boaters this summer, some worry it could harm fish. It’s something DWR hasn’t resorted to since the 1970s. The barrier will be removed in November.

This story was produced by Capital Public Radio.