River’s End: California’s Latest Water War 2021

“River’s End reveals California’s complex struggle over who gets fresh water, and shows how moneyed interests game the system. Constant battling over uncertain water supplies heralds an impending crisis—not just in California, but around the world.”

• River’s End Website
• River’s End Livestream via Wild & Scenic Film Festival 2021
• Learn more about the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta
• USGS Delta Fact Sheet

Noteworthy Statistics

• 80% of water in California goes to agriculture
• 50% of California’s river water flows through the Delta
• The Delta used to be a tidal freshwater marsh blanketed by peat
• Agriculture removed much of the peat to grow crops
• The Delta is the nexus of the California statewide water system
• San Joaquin Valley, San Francisco, Los Angeles get water from the Delta
• Delta land is sinking about a foot per year due to aquifer depletion
• 500 species of plants and animals inhabit the Delta
• Endangered Delta smelt are a key indicator species for ecosystem health
• Other notable species include Pacific salmon, striped bass, and steelhead trout
• 6 species of fish are facing extinction because of unsustainable water use
• Increased cyanobacteria blooms are a result of lowered streamflow
• The Water Fix project, or “twin tunnels,” was stopped in 2018 by environmentalists