Fish are dying downstream. In fall of 2015, the fourth year of California’s drought, eulogies are being written for the nearly extinct Delta smelt, and its lesser-known cousin the longfin smelt may be next in line for that honor. Water in the rivers is so low and so warm that it can barely bring salmon upstream or sustain their nests and young long enough for the young to ever make it to the ocean. Water agencies are building a giant raft – an un-Noah’s Ark – to pump water up to intakes that provide water to surrounding homes. Those intakes are normally deep under water. Columbia University scientists have just estimated that eight to 27 percent of the intensity of the drought is due to climate change. Folsom Lake is a shadow of its former …show more content…
Would not you? I roll from the paved parking lot at Granite Bay off a high-and-dry boat ramp and out into the lake landscape – or make that sandscape. The tan shifting surface is vegetation-free and trailless, and I happily pick a route based on what interests me rather than on the quickest way to get to my destination, whatever that may be. I have half a day to burn and I figure I can get from Granite Bay to or past Beeks Bight, a tight cove with a few points and peninsulas between here and there. Having recently ridden at both Lake Shasta and Lake Oroville, I am pleased to note that the slopes are imminently rideable. This reservoir, lower in elevation and closer to the valley floor, has gentle slopes along this southwestern side, so the surface is gentle to flat, with occasional rocky points and muddy ravines that were once coves, and before that, streams. I know that further upstream the arms of the reservoir will narrow and the slopes will steepen to canyon walls, but there is plenty of riding between here and there. The lake bottom is crisscrossed with the prints of wide truck tires. I note that if sand will support a truck, it will generally support the fat bike. But heading straight upslope in sand is a new challenge. Even with low pressure – I am running just under ten pounds per square inch in my tires – the front of the bike bogs down and slides with even the slightest twisting of the handlebars, and the
As you are fully aware, California has been in a drought for over four years and the declining water level is a growing issue. A water analysis performed by the City of Fresno clearly reveals that in the past 80 years,
The State of Colorado has suffered from a water shortage in recent years; a difficult situation which is easily visible when viewing the quickly shortening length of the Colorado River. Lake Mead, for example, is roughly 130 feet lower than it once was, marked by the stained rock which towers above the current water level. “The river has become a perfect symbol of what happens when we ask too much of a limited resource: it disappears. In fact, the Colorado no longer regularly reaches the sea” (Zielinski, 2010). Legislation was implemented early on to address this issue, though the results were (perhaps not surprisingly) rather unanticipated, regarding
At some point of our lives we have been asked or have heard the question, what can we not live without?. Many of us will not hesitate to mention family, friends, food, water, and other living essential we find futile to our survival. If we place these living essentials in order of importance some of us may place family over water. If you then think about it, we can live without our family, but we cannot live without water. Water gives us life its in our fruits, foods, and drinks. Without water we would not be alive and healthy for the most part. The importance of water is substantial and California is currently experiencing one of its worst droughts in history. The planet itself is also undergoing global warming, which only contributes to a more severe drought occurring in California. Droughts in California’s history did not have the contributing factor of Global warming diminishing their severity. California’s drought and Global warming share a common link in the factor that would contribute to the severity of the drought we are currently experiencing in California and
“One, it’s tied to putting salmon back in the river. Two, there is no funding for dams or river recirculation technology that would maximize Sierra water runoff and lessen the economic devastation to some San Joaquin Valley farmers.” (McEwen 1)
Yet, humans have limited control on natural events, so this only reinforces the importance of managing water wisely. Recently California’s government has begun to focus more on sustaining and restoring the water supply. Dale Kasler (2016) articulates in his article some of the steps they have decided to make to solve this serious issue. The government has made the following investments: “$415 million for watershed restoration and other environmental aid for Lake Tahoe; up to $335 million for two proposed reservoirs in California, including the Sites reservoir north of Sacramento; $880 million for flood-control projects on the American and Sacramento rivers in Sacramento; and $780 million for flood-control projects in West Sacramento” (para. 10). This could be the first step to restoring the water to California. But these
The Klamath Lake, along with other various rivers, lakes and canals that surround it, are the basis for almost 500 species of wildlife in southern Oregon and parts of northern California. It also serves as the most important factor in a farmer’s livelihood; their irrigation. The basis for the water crisis that is going to today in this region is that the current water levels and somewhat water quality are diminishing and reeking havoc on the area’s
The California Drought is one of the most catastrophic weather and climate related events in recent history. It has singlehandedly altered the geographic landscape of the state and brought down entire industries to a grinding halt. Not since global warming became a prominent fixture in the national spotlight has a climate issue so deeply challenged Californians to reconsider their lifestyles according to their climate conditions. This essay will examine the origins of climate change and the California Drought, how the two are related, the current state of California as a result of the drought, and the future outlook of California.
We have left Fort Kearny and are followed on the south side of the Platte River and have now reached the California Crossing. We are going to cross the South Platte River so we can later follow the North Platte River. It is to shallow so we have to follow sandbars across the river, because of it being a wide river there is no
Water resources in the state of California have deteriorated drastically as a result of the current drought event in the west coast of the United States. This has resulted in insufficient supplies of water to residents of southern California, as well as the devastation of wildlife and aquatic ecosystems that are characteristic of this area. This policy analysis will provide the context of the issue, as well as possible solutions, followed by a proposed policy plan to reach the policy goal of equitable and reliable water allocation in the state of California, drought resilience, as well as restoration of the destroyed ecosystems.
This trail, only a third of a mile, would not be a difficult hike for someone who had not just hiked almost four miles in the midday sun, but I could feel the fatigue as I hopped from rock to rock. However the view at the top was well worth
An Average of 1.6 trillion gallons of water are extracted from the Delta for the Central Valley Project and State Water Project on an annual basis (Holyoke). With so much demand, the Delta’s ecological balance has been deeply affected. Furthermore, water supplies and local uses are considered to be in crisis due to crashing number of fish species and old weak levees (Lund, et al.) It is feared that during a strong regional earthquake, many of the levees would fail. Due to the increasing demand on water supplies, conservation efforts, and hundreds of interests, the Delta is also the jugular of California’s water
Dams are created by humans and dams disrupt wildlife, therefore humans disrupt wildlife. California, being a state with dams, has rivers and chaotic nature running through itself. One of the mains rivers in California is the San Joaquin, is a dammed river and its damnation has led to many downfalls in nature. Bill McEwen and Daniel Wientraub have observed the river and it’s stats, and with the upcoming restoration plan, the two obviously have expectations on how the plan will affect the river. They expect salmon populations to rise, or at least be stable, positive effects on the recreation and the economical reign to expand.
My hike was carried out in the form of a mountain bike ride with our school’s racing team. It took place northeast of the Utah State Capitol Building along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. This path, however, begins near the University of Utah and ends just shy of the Idaho border. As the name suggests, this footpath was created by Lake Bonneville, a saltwater lake that was at it’s peak 8,500 years ago. The massive lake was nearly completely drained by an enormous natural dam buckling under the immense pressure, causing an enormous flood(O’Connor, 2011). Today, all that remains is the Great Salt Lake. A water mass that is now almost 12 times smaller that Lake Bonneville. The lake has many tributaries flowing into it, resulting in a small incline of salt as time passes. Brine shrimp are barely able to process the high levels of salt in the water making
Water is a precious resource. It is the lifeblood of every living thing on Earth. California is in the midst of a water crisis. Combined with a three (plus) year drought and many people moving into the state there is not enough water to support the crops the farmers need to grow. There is also a tiny little fish that is causing a mess in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The Delta water pumps were turned off to prevent the extinction of the tiny little fish. Some farmers have to let their fields sit idle for the fall and spring planting season. This is causing a lot of problems in California. The pumps need to be turned back on. The needs of the people should come before that of a fish.
The article published in the city of Fresno in the Fresno Bee newspaper named, “River Plan Too Fishy for my Taste Buds” talks about the losses and disadvantages that the San Joaquin River Restoration plan can bring. The San Joaquin River Restoration Plan is a plan that is getting built in order to save the salmon in the river. Farmers from the city of Fresno and animals both get affected with this river plan and not necessarily in a good way. Bill McEwen, author of this article, disagrees and discourages the creation of this plan. McEwen, a worker for the Fresno Bee for 35 years, dedicated 4 decades to journalism and graduated from his local high school, Fresno High school.Credibility can be given to him due to the very reliable resources