Early Delta Salinity Investigations

Salinity conditions were first noted by Father Crespi during a 1772 expedition to San Francisco Bay. He recorded tasting fresh water in the estuary near the present city of Martinez.

The adverse effects of salinity have been studied since 1916 by the State Water Commision. Saline water conditions were affected by dryer summer months during high tide conditions. Agricultural water diversions, as when farmers began to grow rice in the valley, added to salinity problems. These problems were also influenced by attempts to allow faster drainage of winter outflows by clearing river channels of hydraulic mining sediments and altering them for flood control projects. These attempts instead allowed saline water to further intrude upstream.
agricultural diversion to produced a crisis, causing Delta
In 1920 a critically dry year combined with increased upstream landowners to meet with the commission. A committee was formed, the Riverlands Association, to begin an extensive salinity investigation, coordinated with the State, at 28 Delta stations.

The conditions precipitated a lawsuit to prevent upstream users to take any water that would reduce Sacramento River flows to less than 3,500 cfs past Sacramento. In the end, the lawsuit was overruled by the State Supreme Court and litigation continued.

In 1921, salinity investigations were assigned to the Division of Water Rights, now the State Water Resources Control Board. Presently, the Board is a regulatory agency that has authority over water quality standards in the Delta and statewide, and water rights to protect the beneficial uses of California's water.

Suisun Marsh Salinity Control Gates.