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- cross-posted to:
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Summary
California officials warned that Trump’s order to release massive amounts of water nearly caused severe flooding for farmers.
Trump boasted about the move, claiming it would help fight wildfires, but experts said the water couldn’t reach affected areas, which are over 200 miles away.
The Army Corps of Engineers initially planned to release water at maximum capacity but scaled back after urgent pushback.
Experts warned the water could have been better used months later for irrigation.
The central valley IS a desert in only the very strict sense of the term, in that it doesn’t receive much rainfall. That’s where the likeness ends. Before industrialized farming took over and completely remade the ecology here, the San Joaquin valley was essentially the world’s largest river delta thanks to Sierra snow melt. Much of the valley was covered in shallow wetlands, and it was also home to one of the largest fresh water lakes in the country (by surface area).