GEOGUNIT: Water- California's environment at risk

The sacramento-San joaquin river delta (Bay delta)

• Half a million people live around the 60 low-lying islands of the Sacramento-San Joaquin river delta (bay delta), but years of neglect have allowed the leeves, which protected the low-lying area from flooding, to decay.
• Two thirds of the Californias population depend on the Bay delta for water supplies, and almost half of Californias annual runoff flows through the delta.
• However serious problems have occured.
• Old, poorly maintained, man-made levees and river banks along the river Feather have allowed salty water to flood some of the islands and reduce water quality for all users and habitats.
• There are several species of fish on the endangered list.
• The big water pumps for the state water project also stuck in a lot of fish. Pumping is stopped 3-4times a year to allow fish stocks to recover.
• The…