 A maze of tributaries, sloughs and islands, the San Francisco
Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta estuary (Bay-Delta) is the largest estuary on the West
Coast. It is a haven for plants and wildlife, supporting over 750 plants and animal
species. The Bay-Delta includes over 738,000 acres on five counties. The Bay
Delta is critical to California's economy, supplying drinking water for over two-thirds of
Californians and irrigation water for over 7 million acres of the most highly productive
agricultural land in the world.
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 Water use per acre by California rice growers has dropped 65 percent in
the last 20 years
due to improvements in technology and new farming practices and a
significant portion of
water used is returned to our streams and rivers. When the California
rice crop is
harvested, 400 pounds per acre is left in the fields. This leftover
rice serves as
an important food sources for millions of ducks, geese, pheasants and
other wildlife. The practice of winter flooding in rice fields is a
proven method for decomposing
rice straw so that it can be returned to the soil. Flooded fields also
serve as
seasonal wetlands for migratory waterfowl. When winter rice field
storage water is
released during the spring, the flow of the Sacramento River can be
maintained to prevent
salinity in the Delta, and more storage can be retained in the Shasta,
Trinity, Oroville
and Folsom dams.
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 The California Aqueduct is part of the State Water Project, which was
designed to provide water primarily for urban use. It also supplies water for irrigation,
hydrologic power, recreation and wildlife. The SWP also provides flood control. This
scene, as viewed from Interstate 5, shows vineyards in the foreground and the Great
Central Valley stretching beyond the aqueduct.
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