MARIN COUNTY (KRON) — As Californians deal with a fourth-straight year of drought conditions, water managers and experts across the northern half of the state are noticing dramatic changes in the waters of San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta.
These changes could permanently alter the region if the dry weather continues.
All around San Francisco Bay and throughout the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the U.S. Geological Survey monitors water quality using sensors. They test the temperature of the water, how much sediment is in it, and the salinity or saltiness.
After four consecutive years of drought conditions, USGS said there is less fresh water from the Sierra flowing into the Delta and San Francisco Bay — and this is creating two problems.
“When the salt water enters the Delta, you’re reducing the water quality, and no one likes to drink salty water. So, you definitely don’t want to be pulling a lot of salty water into an area where you extracting water for drinking,” USGS hydrologist Greg Shellenbarger said.
To keep that from happening , the state department of water resources recently built an emergency barrier or damn in the Delta to block the salt water from mixing in with the fresh water supply.