Article Author:
Associated Press
Kathleen Lonein
RIO VISTA, Calif. (AP) — Charlie Hamilton hasn't been irrigating his vineyards with Sacramento River water since early May. It flows just a few yards from his crop.
Nearby, in the southern Bay Area industrial city of Antioquia, the San Joaquín River has supplied its people with water for only 32 days this year, and by this time of the rainy season, it has taken about 128 days. there were.
They may be nearby, but due to the state's prolonged severe drought, these two rivers, the heart of California's water system, are too salty to be used in some places.
During dry winters like California's, less fresh water flows from the mountains into the Sacramento River, the largest in the state. This allows more salty water from the Pacific tides to be pushed further into the state's primary aquatic hub known as the Delta. It plays an important and undervalued role in the state's economy, helping to water two-thirds of the state's 39 million people and fruit and vegetable farms across the country. sometimes.
Sea-level rise, along with drought, some of the driest in the western United States in 1,200 years, has exposed vulnerabilities in that system, threatening state water managers, Cities and farmers are forced to find new ways to stabilize themselves. their fresh water supply. Delta challenges provide a harbinger of risks to critical water supplies elsewhere in the country in a changing climate.
Planners and farmers face saltwater intrusion from desalination plants, artificial rock walls and groundwater pumps. Those who cannot design a way out of their problems are left with a burning hope that things will change.
"I hope the water quality will be better," said farmer Bobby Costa, whose cucumber yields are down 25 percent this year compared to wetter years.
The Delta is the largest estuary on the west coast of the Americas. Hundreds of square miles of agricultural land, as well as being home to endangered species that require specific water flow, temperature and salinity, such as Chinook salmon and delta smelt, to live, work and enjoy in this area It is home to millions of people.
Other estuaries, such as the Chesapeake Bay and within the Everglades, play a less important role in directly supplying water for drinking and agriculture. However, these estuaries are also at risk of creeping salinity, causing problems for ecosystems, groundwater supplies and other needs.
Massive pumping systems built more than half a century ago pump water from the delta into metropolitan centers like Los Angeles and large agricultural operations. The more salinity moves eastward, the more endangered the water system. The brackish water that creeps into the system is not as salty as seawater, but it is too salty for some crops and humans to drink. Jacob McCurk, chief engineer for the state's Department of Water Resources, said.
Last year, the state hauled his 112,000 tons of rock and piled it 30 feet (9 meters) deep in a critical delta river to keep salt water from getting too close to the pump. I made it It was the second time he needed a barrier in the last ten years. The Water Resources Authority first installed it during the last drought in 2015.
Though thought to be only temporary, plans to remove the barrier last fall were scrapped due to dry conditions. Let the fish swim. Authorities hope to remove it in November of this year.
The state is seeking permission from the federal government to build two barriers further north, arguing they will be needed to protect water supplies should the drought worsen. there is Longer term, the state wants to build massive tunnels that will fully displace water around the delta. This makes it easier to capture more water during heavy rains and prevents this risk of saltwater intrusion.
But defenders of the region fear it is just another solution that will dry out the farmers, fish and people who depend on the delta's water.
Barriers protect the pumps but are of little use to some stakeholders within the Delta who rely on fresh water before heading south.
Take the example of Hamilton, which leases about 50 acres of vineyards to grow wine grapes along the Sacramento River. The land is owned by Al Medvitz, who grows alfalfa and other crops on over 5 square miles of land. The water they draw from rivers is always tidal and they are learning how to draw when the tide is low and the salinity is low.
But since early May, Hamilton has been completely unable to draw water, even at low tide. If he continues to use it, first the vine leaf ends will begin to burn and wrinkle, then fewer vines can be grown on each cluster, and eventually the crop will become unusable.
To avoid that, he pumps groundwater from wells far above the land and runs it through ditches to drip irrigation lines, a process that takes time. . Alfalfa, the owner's cattle feed, can tolerate high salinity, so you can drink up the river water for now.
Two men are seeking state approval to build a small reservoir on their property to store fresh water for use during the dry season. If they are forced to turn to increasingly salty water, it will damage the soil over time. to have,' he said.
Some people, like Costa, have fewer options. He farms about four square miles (10 square kilometers) of land at the southern tip of the delta. He obtains water from several rivers in the delta and is delivered through ditches on his property from irrigation districts. This year, the high salinity of the water is evident, leaving white stains on the soil in the fields and affecting the cucumber harvest.
He sells cucumbers to a company that turns them into pickles for use in Subway and other stores. His yield is down about 25% this year, and many of the cucumbers he picks are crooked, making them difficult to use for pickling.
"If you don't control the salinity of the delta, the ocean will slowly move in and at some point the water will become unavailable and people will be ruined," said John Herrick. The agency responsible for protecting the local water supply.
Meanwhile, in Antioquia, a city of 115,000, authorities are investing in desalination. Last year things got so bad that the city was unable to draw any water from the river. said John Samuelson, city engineer and chief of public works.
Desalination plants are often controversial. Earlier this year, the state rejected an offer by Orange County to draw water from the ocean. However, Delta water is less salty, so less energy is required to make it fresh. Samuelson said other Bay Area cities have reached out to Antioquia to learn more about its efforts as it considers its own options to stabilize water supplies amid heightened risks of climate change. I can.
"We know this is going to get worse and worse," Samuelson said. "I want to make sure I'm thinking positively and solving problems today."