Old River (California)
| Old River | |
|---|---|
 Old River (below) at upper confluence with San Joaquin River near Tracy | |
    | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | San Joaquin River Lathrop |
| • coordinates | 37°48′29″N 121°19′38″W / 37.80806°N 121.32722°W |
| • elevation | 11 ft (3.4 m) |
| Mouth | |
• location | San Joaquin River near Terminous |
• coordinates | 38°04′21″N 121°34′15″W / 38.07250°N 121.57083°W |
• elevation | Sea level |
| Length | 40 mi (64 km) |
The Old River is a
Middle River runs east of and roughly parallel to Old River. False River diverges from Old River about a mile (1.6 km) above the Old River's mouth and runs westward to join the San Joaquin at a point closer to Antioch. Part of the Old River forms the boundary between San Joaquin County on the east and Contra Costa County
to the west.
About halfway along its course the Old River passes by the
salmon in the San Joaquin River which may have contributed to the decline of the species in the 20th century.[3] Since the 1960s, the California Department of Water Resources has maintained temporary barrier dams to control the flow of water, a system which has improved water quality and circulation.[4] The Head of Old River barrier is routinely installed during spring at the point where the Old River diverges from the San Joaquin, in order to prevent outmigrating young salmon from entering the longer, winding Old River where they are less likely to survive the journey to the sea.[5]
A pumping station on Old River east of Discovery Bay provides fresh water to Los Vaqueros Reservoir via pipeline.
The Peripheral Canal project, proposed since the 1960s would have bypassed diverted water flows around the Delta and eliminated the reverse flow in the Old River. However, the canal was never built due to environmental concerns for the Delta region.
On the right bank, the Old River borders Berts Island, Union Island,
Woodward Island, Bacon Island, and Mandeville Island. On the left it borders Stewart Tract, Coney Island, Widdows Island, Byron Tract, Orwood Tract, Palm Tract, Holland Tract, Little Mandeville Island, Quimby Island, and Webb Tract. The Old River also skirts the Franks Tract State Recreation Area, a former Delta island that is now submerged and forms a lake.[6]
The Old River ranges from 5 to 10 feet (1.5 to 3.0 m) deep[1] and from 150 to 1,600 feet (46 to 488 m) wide.
The
U.S. Geological Survey operates five stream gauges on the Old River.[7] Measured at Bacon Island, the Old River had an average reverse flow of 1,823.6 cubic feet per second (51.64 m3/s) between 2006 and 2014.[8]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Orwood, Old River | California". Ca.usharbors.com. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
- ^ "A Century of Salt Water Barriers in the Delta" (PDF). Restorethedelta.org. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
- ^ "Temporary Barriers Project Information". Baydeltaoffice.water.ca.gov. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
- ^ "Microsoft Word - Delta-WQ-IssuesRpt.doc" (PDF). Gfredlee.com. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
- ^ "A Non-Physical Barrier for Young Salmon" (PDF). Baydeltalive.com. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
- ^ USGS Topo Maps for United States (Map). Cartography by United States Geological Survey. ACME Mapper. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
- ^ "USGS Surface Water data for USA: USGS Surface-Water Monthly Statistics". Nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
- ^ "USGS Surface Water data for USA: USGS Surface-Water Monthly Statistics". Nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2016-08-19.