Salt or fresh water

Arnold

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Oct 14, 2003
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12330
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Can anyone tell me when the water in the Delta starts to be considered fresh water for the purpose of out drives maintenance. Are Benicia and Vallejo considered fresh or salt water? Thanks.
 
Benicia is kind of brackish. I would think 'maybe' Pittsburg but possibly as far up as Antioch.
 
Depending on the tide and location. If you have water moving inland, the water can be anywhere from salt to brackish to mostly fresh. Also, salt and fresh may not readily mix. Some places you can see the incoming and out going moving side by side. Other areas, the salt can be moving in under the out going fresh.

There was a time that the delta was fresh, but since they started diverting water to the southland, salt incursion has been moving further and further into the delta.

Probably more than you wanted to know.
 
Very good Charlie

Early explorers noted they could drink bay water . Probably surface water in rainy season
 
They put a salt water blocking lock/barrier on the east end of Montezuma Slough many moons ago. To my taste, the water in Southern Steamboat Slough was brackish last time I tasted it 8 years ago.
 
I had heard, and I don't know if it is true, that the Vallejo marina is the best of both worlds. It is fresh water on the ebb and salt water on the flow.
 
quote:

Originally posted by 3birds

I had heard, and I don't know if it is true, that the Vallejo marina is the best of both worlds. It is fresh water on the ebb and salt water on the flow.






No, the Napa River is more than brackish that far down; it is referred to as Mare Island Strait at that point. The river, such as it is, drains into the various sloughs to the northwest of Vallejo as much as it does through the Strait.
 
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