The San Joaquin: A River Runs Dry

The San Joaquin: A River Runs Dry. . , Picture a river running through a desert. Now picture a desert running through a river., The San Joaquin River once flowed uninterrupted from high mountains, through the arid valley bearing its name, to the Delta. Floods enriched valley soils and replenished groundwater that in turn fed the river through the dry summer. The southernmost salmon run in North America thrived here., Since 1941, Friant Dam has held back those floodwaters to irrigate the rich soils of San Joaquin Valley farms. With that water, over one million parched acres became some of the most productive farmland on earth., But the river ran dry below the dam., Although downstream tributaries, canals, and runoff from fields and cities "restart” the river on its way to the Delta, 60 miles of the San Joaquin River became a desert within its banks. Thus the salmon run ended., In a landmark 2005 court ruling, water users agreed to release more water from Friant Dam in an attempt to bring back the salmon. With this water the San Joaquin may transform from desert back to river. ,