California's Deadlocked Delta
The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta provides water for two-thirds of California’s residents, millions of acres of farmland and cities that power the state’s economy. It has also been ground zero for the state’s most contentious water battles for more than half a century. Now, as the state takes on an ambitious multi-billion dollar planning process to fix the Delta, KQED looks at the obstacles ahead and the innovative ideas that could break the water deadlock.
Controversial California Water Plan Takes Shape
The latest draft fails to mollify opponents to a $23 billion-dollar plan for California’s trickiest water problem: the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Post on Mar 15, 2013 by Lauren Sommer
California's Deadlocked Delta: Is Carbon Farming the Future?
California’s Delta has a rich agricultural legacy, but farming there can be a risky business. Dozens of farms have been flooded over the past half century as aging levees have collapsed. Now, scientists are encouraging farmers to switch to a new crop. Instead of growing vegetables, they’d grow something that has all but disappeared in the Delta: wetlands.
Audio Report on May 18, 2012 by Lauren Sommer from QUEST Northern California
California's Deadlocked Delta: Interactive Map
What did the Delta look like 200 years ago? See an interactive map of the historical habitat and present day landscape, as well as the old photos, maps and journals used by historical ecologists to answer that question.
Page on May 13, 2012 by Lauren Sommer from QUEST Northern California
California's Deadlocked Delta: Can We Bring Back What We've Lost?
California's Delta is a far cry from what it once was. About 97% of its historic marshes have been lost and scientists aren’t quite sure what the Delta once looked like. Now, a Bay Area group is working to reconstruct it through ecological detective work.
Audio Report on May 11, 2012 by Lauren Sommer from QUEST Northern California
The Good and Not-So-Good News About California Salmon
Given half a chance, salmon can not only survive, but thrive. Fortunately or unfortunately for them, they now depend on us for that chance.
Post on May 11, 2012 by Dan Brekke from QUEST Northern California
California's Deadlocked Delta: Can it Be Fixed?
The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta has been the subject of a decades-long water war, but most Californians have never heard of it. Why is it so important? And can the state ever break the water deadlock?
Audio Report on May 04, 2012 by Lauren Sommer from QUEST Northern California
Different Deltas: Q&A with Jason Peltier of Westlands Water District
QUEST Radio Reporter Lauren Sommer interviews Jason Peltier, Deputy General Manager of Westlands Water District, a 600,000 acre agricultural district on the west side of the San Joaquin valley.
Post on May 04, 2012 by Lauren Sommer from QUEST Northern California
"Whiskey’s for Drinking, Water’s for Fighting About"
A stark symbol of our quest to bend nature to our will, the Delta remains the epicenter of an epic drama of seemingly insurmountable political battles and power struggles, pitting north against south; farmer against environmentalist.
Slideshow on May 04, 2012 by Matthew Green from QUEST Northern California
Different Deltas: Q&A with Barry Nelson of the Natural Resources Defense Council
QUEST Radio Reporter Lauren Sommer interviews Barry Nelson, Senior Policy Analyst with the Natural Resources Defense Council about the pressures on the Delta ecosystem and the competing plans to manage them.
Post on May 04, 2012 by Lauren Sommer from QUEST Northern California
What is California’s Delta?
If you’re like most Californians, you’ve probably never heard of the Delta or why it’s important to the state’s economy and wildlife. In three minutes, we’ll explain how the Delta is a key part of California’s water supply and why it’s been the focus of a decades-long water battle.
Video on May 04, 2012 by Lauren Sommer from QUEST Northern California
