The New Inland Sea

Scientific American | April 13th, 1907

The deep channel in the Alamo River, which passed Holtville in August, was gradually approaching Sharp's Heading, and it was recognized that when this cataract reached

The deep channel in the Alamo River, which passed Holtville in August, was gradually approaching Sharp's Heading, and it was recognized that when this cataract reached the heading it would be very difficult and expensive, and perhaps impossible, to maintain that heading. This, however, was not the only peril to the water supply of the valley. The channel of New River had eroded to such an extent that where the two streams separated it was estimated that four-fifths of the water was running down New River and only one fifth down the Alamo. While this proportion was favorable to the regimen of the Alamo and the safety of Sharp's Heading, it was very threatening in an other respect. It accelerated the cutting of the New River channel, in which was a great cataract four or five miles below the separation of the two streams, and this was, of course, advancing upstream. It was well recognized that when this cataract reached the Alamo the channel would be so deep that all of the water would run down New River and leave Sharp's Heading on dry land, without any water for the irrigation of the Imperial Valley. Threatened first with inundation, and next with the destruction of their entire water supply, the inhabitants of the Imperial Valley have naturally been almost in a state of panic for several months.

The Once and Future Delta: Mending the broken heart of California

Bay Nature | April 1st, 2010

On March 30, 1772, Spanish explorer Pedro Pages was traveling east along the south shore of Suisun Bay, looking for a land route around the seemingly endless chain of b

On March 30, 1772, Spanish explorer Pedro Pages was traveling east along the south shore of Suisun Bay, looking for a land route around the seemingly endless chain of bays extending inland from the Golden Gate. Mounting to Willow Pass, the rise of land between present-day Concord and Pittsburg, he found himself staring at a new obstacle: an enormous expanse of marshland, threaded with bright channels. He had "discovered" the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: The Evolution and Implementation of Water Policy: An Historical Perspective

University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | June 1st, 1977

This report is a history of the attempts to control the encroachment of salinity from San Francisco Bay into the Delta of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from 1920

This report is a history of the attempts to control the encroachment of salinity from San Francisco Bay into the Delta of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from 1920 to the present. Two basic solutions to the problem present themselves: the physical separation of salt water from fresh water by means of a barrier at some point downstream from the Delta, or the release of sufficient water from upstream storage reservoirs to drive back tidal salinity.

The Steam Wells of California

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | May 5th, 1928

The utilisation of the steam of the soffioni of Tuscany as a source of mechanical power has steadily developed since 1904 when the first pioneer experiments were

The utilisation of the steam of the soffioni of Tuscany as a source of mechanical power has steadily developed since 1904 when the first pioneer experiments were carried out at Larderello by Prince Ginori Conti. The remarkable results which have since been achieved were described in NATURE of Jan. 14 last. Similar sources of geothermal energy were first tapped in California in 1921, and since then several deep wells have been successfully sunk, some of them being superior both in pressure and steam output to any yet reported from Italy. The active region is known as ‘The Geysers,’ and lies on the western side of the St. Helena Range, one of the coast ranges of California. Along a line some twentyfive miles in length, which appears to mark a fault or shatter belt, hot springs, some of which are associated with quicksilver deposits, occur at intervals. There are no actual geysers at ‘The Geysers,’ but over an area of thirty-five acres the ground is dotted with hot springs and fumaroles and salt patches, and steam and gases are constantly seeping through the surface. A thorough investigation of the locality has been made by Dr. E. T. Allen and Dr. A. L. Day, and the results, beautifully published by the Carnegie Institution of Washington,1 add very materially to our knowledge of subterranean supplies of magmatic steam.

The System of the River: Francis Newlands and the Improbable Quest to Irrigate the West

Stanford University | June 28th, 2018

The Transfer of Water Rights In California: Background and Issues

Governor's Commission to Review Water Rights Law | December 1st, 1977

This paper is part of a series of background and issue papers prepared by the staff of the Governor's Commission to Review Water Rights Law. TABLE OF CONTENTS I. 

This paper is part of a series of background and issue papers prepared by the staff of the Governor's Commission to Review Water Rights Law. TABLE OF CONTENTS I.  Water is a Marketable Resource II.  Legal Impediments to Water Rights Transfers in California III.  A Selective Review of Recent Water Rights Transfers in California IV.  Issues

The Water Districts of California

Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) | April 1st, 1979

Tijuana River Valley Historical Ecology Investigation

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | January 2nd, 2017

The Tijuana River Valley Historical Ecology Investigation addresses a regional data gap by reconstructing the landscape and ecosystem characteristics of the river valley

The Tijuana River Valley Historical Ecology Investigation addresses a regional data gap by reconstructing the landscape and ecosystem characteristics of the river valley prior to the major modifications of the late 19th and 20th centuries. The research presented here, funded by the California State Coastal Conservancy, supplies foundational information at the regional and system scale about how the Tijuana Estuary, River, and valley looked and functioned in the recent past, as well as how they have changed over time. The ultimate goal of this study is to provide a new tool and framework that, in combination with contemporary research and future projections, can support and guide ongoing restoration design, planning, and management efforts in the valley.

To Quench a Thirst

San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) | October 10th, 2023

The story has three parts: the first tells how the early residents lived with their local resources; the second, which begins in the 1920s, tells the story of how the [Sa

The story has three parts: the first tells how the early residents lived with their local resources; the second, which begins in the 1920s, tells the story of how the [San Diego County] region has become heavily dependent on imported water, and the third is just starting. It is the part of the story about how the region will learn to thrive in a changing climate that has turned 20th century norms for water and weather upside down.

Understanding the Contributions of Paleo-Informed Natural Variability and Climate Changes to Hydroclimate Extremes in the San Joaquin Valley of California

American Geophysical Union (AGU) | November 13th, 2023