In the heart of California, some rural communities are facing the prospect of being marooned or flooded out by rising water
Farmland in the Tulare Lake Basin is submerged in water in Corcoran, Calif., Thursday, April 20, 2023, after more than a dozen atmospheric rivers dumped record-setting rain and snowfall. Residents in rural communities in the heart of the state are facing the prospect of being marooned by rising rivers or flooded out. Ron Caetano is packed and ready to go. His family photos and valuables are in the trailer and he’s put food in carry totes.
Water managers are concerned that the spring snowmelt in the Sierra Nevada will be so massive, the north fork of the Kings River won’t be able to contain it and carry it toward the Pacific Ocean. Much of the water is being channeled into the river’s south fork, which winds through the area to fill a vast basin.
David Merritt, general manager for the Kings River Conservation District, said the Pine Flat Reservoir about 50 miles upstream can hold up to 1 million acre feet of water, but is expected to receive more than 3 million acre feet this spring from the melting snow. Officials have been forced to increase the flow of water out of the reservoir to make space for more, Merritt said.
In a week, more than 200 people volunteered to help neighbors through the network, and the group's website received more than 4,000 hits.The winter rains were welcomed by California's parched cities and desperate growers, who have been grappling with intense drought for the past several years.
Many long-time residents recall when Tulare Lake reappeared 40 years ago. Officials believe crops will remain under water much longer this time due to the massive snowpack, said Dusty Ference, executive director of the Kings County Farm Bureau. To date, more than 60,000 acres of farmland have flooded, he said.
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