In dry winters like the state just had, less fresh water flows down from the mountains into the Sacramento River, the state's largest. That allows saltier water from Pacific Ocean tides to push further into the state's main water hub, known as the Delta.
Al Medvitz, who farms alfalfa and other crops, looks out over Sacramento River from a hill on his land near Rio Vista, Calif., on Monday, July 25, 2022. In dry winters like the one California just had, less fresh water flows down from the mountains into the Sacramento River, the state's largest. Medvitz wants approval from the state to build a small reservoir on the property to store fresh water for use in dry times.
In dry winters like the one California just had, less fresh water flows down from the mountains into the Sacramento River, the state's largest. That allows saltier water from Pacific Ocean tides to push further into the state's main water hub, known as the Delta. It helps supply water to two-thirds of the state's 39 million people and to farms that grow fruits and vegetables for the whole nation, playing a key but sometimes underappreciated role in the state's economy.
Other estuaries such as the Chesapeake Bay and within the Everglades don't play as critical a role in directly supplying water for drinking and farming. But those estuaries are also at risk of creeping salt, causing problems for ecosystems, groundwater supplies and other needs. It was supposed to be only temporary, but plans to remove the barrier last fall were scrapped due to dry conditions, though a notch was cut to allow fish to swim through. Officials still hope to take it out this November.
Take Hamilton, who leases about 50 acres of vineyards to grow wine grapes along the Sacramento River. The land belongs to Al Medvitz, who farms alfalfa and other crops on more than five square miles of land. The water they draw from the river has always been tidally influenced, and they've learned how to pump from it when the tides are out and the salt content low.
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