San Joaquin River Restoration Project - Irrigating the Valley

San Joaquin River Restoration Project:

Irrigating the Valley

The San Joaquin River is the backbone of the San Joaquin Valley. The valley is not only the nation's most agricultural area but it is also one of the entire worlds. Millions depend on the crops that come form this luscious valley. The river has gone through many drastic changes over its illustrious lifetime. Once it was a magnificent 350 miles long it is now one of the nation's ten most endangered rivers. The river once flowed with enough water to support steam ships and a salmon migration it now goes completely dry in some areas. The river does not have enough water to support itself any more and must take in water from various other places, such as the Pacific Ocean which while helping to refill the river also brings salt which soaks into the soil and can damage crops.

In order to understand how the river has changed and to discover what it once was, it is necessary to know its history. During the1860 steam boats were used to transport people and supplies along the San Joaquin. The ending of construction on the Mendota Dam happened in 1871. Beginning the 1880's farmers began to make canals and plant orchards of figs, grapes, and oranges. In 1900 more planning goes into making a reservoir to help irrigate farmers and the number of farming lands quadruples from 100,000 to 400,000. Southern California Edison Co. builds reservoirs, dams, and powerhouses to fuel southern California's need for power in the year 1912. During the years 1918 and 1920 a severe drought causes many farmers to abandon

land and pump ground-water to the point where there is not much left. Also the Central Valley Project is proposed and it includes the building of dams on the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers to help with the irrigation on 12 million farm acres across California, 10.3 million of which will be in the Central Valley. Between 1928 and 1934 in the midst of one of the worst droughts in years the state of California is unable to find a way to pay for the proposed Friant Dam and Millerton Lake which would help in irrigating needy farmlands. In 1935 the Central Valley Project is approved and construction on Shasta Dam on the Sacramento River and Friant Dam on the San Joaquin River begins. In 1944 the construction of Friant Dam is complete and water is first sent into Madera Canal. In 1947 the first law suite against the dam is filed by Everett Rank Sr. who sues the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation because he says that it took from him his source of water without any compensation. In 1950 the Attorney General of California says that federal officials do not have to comply with the state's Fish and Game laws that would protect the fisheries stating that they only need to worry about the dam irrigating the valley. In 1951 the Delta-Mendota Canal becomes operational and water from Northern California is used in to help west-side farmers. In 1957 Fish and Game ask for more water to restore the salmon habitat and it receives a "no" as its answer in 1959. The government allows for a small flow of water from the dam to get to Gravelly Ford. Between the 1960's and 1970's federal officials sue when the water board of California makes requirements on the New Melones Reservoir. In 1986 a new law requires that the environment be considered when power plants renew there license. In the year 1988, 15 environmental groups sued the government saying that they illegally allowed water contract renewals to farmers without considering the consequences it would have on the environment. In 1991 the environmental groups added the Fish and Game code #5937 to their case which states that when a dam is built the wildlife

must be protected. In 1997 the water board changes its position which it has held since the 1950's and sides with the environmental groups.

There is much that still needs to be decided in how to and to whom water needs to be distributed. It is the water that makes up the San Joaquin Valley and without it the agriculture that once flourished would cease to exist. There are many opinions on how to irrigate the river but none of them contain the perfect answer. Two of the projected plans include keeping things the way they are and allowing more of the water in Friant Dam to flow into the river to bring back the former environment that was once there as well as improve the conditions for west-side farmers. The two plans contrast drastically with each other but both have positive and negative consequences.

If the east side farmers have it there way they will continue to be able to produce crops and farming on the east-side will