California will temporarily fill three channels with rocks to prevent saline water intrusion into the Sacramento Delta area. Two sloughs will be blocked near Courtland to prevent Sacramento River water from flowing into them. The False River slough near Oakley will be blocked to stop saline water from entering the central Delta. All three dams are needed because the flow of freshwater is greatly diminished due to the drought.
The Sacramento Delta area is the junction of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. It is where most of the water for the Central Valley and southern California comes from. It is also home to immensely productive farmland and salmon runs. It is Ground Zero for California water battles.
It really creates all kinds of problems if we let the Delta get too salty,” Holderman said. “I would say it’s about a 95 percent chance we are going to put the barriers in. It’s just a matter of when.”
Delta and Central Valley farmers are concerned their access to water (which they have rights to) which be even more reduced by the barriers.