Delta Weeds

yzer,

I have also been pleading with folks to read that book and become informed. A once great river, and such a sad story. I actually had to put it down several times, I got so upset.

Concerning salinity level pre dam & levees, wasn't there occurances of extreme salt intrusion to Rio Vista? Without dams or a means to "control" fresh water flows downstream, weren't there times when extremely low fresh water flows resulted in such a condition? During drought years?

I am not arguing or claiming this has happened, because I do not know, just inquiring...

And please don't get me wrong, I do not support dams and the export of the damaging amounts of water from the Delta, especially when more than 80% of that exported water is used for agri-business. With less than 20% of the exported water being used by cities & municipalities. And some of these farms receiving this water are large corporate farms growing crops requiring huge amounts of water, with large amounts of the crops being exported outside the US. And the ridiculously cheap water rates they get. That at the cost of the Delta's health, but I digressed... I must step down off the soap box now...what was I saying? LOL
 
I'd like to find out a lot more about the historical salinity levels in the Delta. The tule rushes are fairly salt-tolerant, but selection for salt tolerance could happen with infrequent drought conditions on the order of 100-year events. Very slow moving or stagnant fresh water can take a long time to become brackish, and brackish water tends to move up the larger streams, fanning out into the marshes. Even at prolonged low flow levels during a drought year, salinity takes a long time to move up the system. Water may move in and out with the tide, but after a full tide cycle it's pretty much back to where it started from.
 
Phil. I have seen your boats and I am encouraged by the amount of interest by you folks. Believe me when I say that your opinions mean a great deal to all involved, negative or positive. We did hold annual stakeholder meetings and over the years the numbers have dwindled. The internet, for better or worse, is a great opportunity to reach those we did not before. One of the problems that we do have is the misidentification of weeds and having to send crews out to visually check. If any of you have a weed you are not sure about, feel free to take a picture and post it on here. If we cannot identify it, we have the resources to find someone who can. Thanks
 
The point regarding the diversion of fresh water to support agribusiness is well taken. We are using valuable fresh water to support the growing of rice, a monsoon crop, in the desert.

What we need is a focus on transferring water rights from farmland to other uses, be they "conservation" or "urban". Making the water rights to land freely alienable (seperable) would allow landowners to "sell" their water to LA. The water rights may be the full value of the land, no matter. Taking the land out of production has to make more sense than diverting more water and/or building more dams.

BTG
 
As long as southern California politicians have control, the water will be exported and the Delta will continue to suffer. Remember all 5 of the directors of the State Dept of Water Resources as well as the governor who appoints them are from southern California. When was the last governor of our state not from SoCal? I've lived in California since 1954 and I cannot remember any northern Ca governor except --maybe-- Jerry Brown.

I think the DWR directors should be from five different geographical areas of the state, but nobody has asked my opinion!
 
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