California Water News Daily Your Source For Water News in California
In an effort to slow the intrusion of saltwater in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) has begun construction on a temporary emergency drought barrier on the West False River.
The barrier is designed to slow the movement of saltwater into the central Delta and prevent contamination of water supplies for millions of Californians. It will also help conserve critical water supplies in upstream reservoirs for later use by avoiding the need to send large volumes of water into the Delta to repel salinity this summer.
“Keeping saltwater from intruding into the central Delta is essential as a large portion of the state’s fresh water for urban and agricultural use goes through this part of the Delta,” said Ted Craddock, Deputy Director for the State Water Project.
Nearly 90,000 cubic yards of rock will be used to construct the approximately 800-foot-wide barrier. The barrier will block watercraft passage on West False River until its removal and will be marked by warning signs, lights, and buoys. Alternative routes between the San Joaquin River and interior Delta will be available.
Construction is expected to be completed by July 1. The barrier will be removed no later than November 30.
The last time a West False River drought salinity barrier was used was during the 2012-16 drought and it proved to be an effective tool for reducing the intrusion of salt water into the central and south Delta, and helped preserve fresh water supplies for future critical uses including drinking water and the environment.
The West False River drought salinity barrier is just one of many actions DWR is taking to mitigate drought impacts consistent with the emergency order. For more information, visit DWR’s drought webpage.
