Agricultural Drainage Water as a Basis for Wildlife Development in the San Joaquin Valley of California

Abstract

ABSTRACT IMPORTANT marshland habitat in California is estimated at 1.94 million ha (4.8 million acres) with State and Federal ownership totaling about 93,555 ha (231,000 acres). Some of the habitat area has a partial water supply, some a full supply, but much of it has very little water. Agricultural drainage could provide a full water supply for up to 127,170 ha (314,000 acres) of wildlife habitat by the year 2000. The impact of such usage would be greatly beneficial both to wildlife habitat development and to irrigated cropland. Agricultural drain-age can provide a firm water supply for wildlife and the wildlife use will allow the development of on-farm drainage systems to maintain land productivity. Further, such a short-term plan would be easily adaptable and in fact complementary to a long term plan for a master drainage system to be implemented at a later date.