Yo, America. Once the largest freshwater body of water west of the Mississippi… let’s fix it.
The lake’s disappearance has had far-reaching consequences.
In 1852, Army engineer George Derby could stand in the Sierra’s foothills and count the eponymous bulrushes, called tules, near the lake’s shoreline. But on many midsummer days now, it’s hard to see across the street.
Sometimes it hurts to breathe.
Judith Lewis: The Ghost of Tulare :
Reviving an ancient lake may help solve California’s water woes.
“The real question is: How do we manage the water we have for farms, fish and people?”
In fact, given the unfortunate confluence of water and fiscal crises in the state, restoring Tulare Lake — or at least parts of it — appears more feasible than ever.
“It would move the San Joaquin Valley toward regional self-sufficiency,” he said.