Keeping the San Joaquin River Wet

Farmers and environmentalists have begun experiments aimed at eventually restoring the river, which runs dry in the summer since the Friant dam was built in the 1940s.

1 minute read

July 18, 2000, 8:20 AM PDT

By Laura Kraft


The 350-mile San Joaquin river has dried up each year in many places since Friant Dam was built northeast of Fresno in the 1940s. Last year, farmers and environmentalists created a project to release water from the dam and keep a the river running along a 24-mile spot that was previously dry. This is one effort at eventually restoring the river by enlisting the support of farmers who own water rights along the course of the river.

Thanks to Laura Krafft

Tuesday, July 18, 2000 in The Fresno Bee

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