Once the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, spanning what is now Kings, Tulare and Kern Counties before it was drained a century ago, Tulare Lake is on the verge of returning. Swelled by recent storms, it has inundated farmland, threatened cities, forced evacuations, disrupted livelihoods and reignited long-standing water wars. With record snow in the Sierra Nevada yet to run off, there’s more water coming. We’ll talk about what the re-emergence of Tulare Lake means for the region and the state.
Central Valley’s Lake Tulare is Set to Return. Farmers are Worried.
CORCORAN, CA - MARCH 24: A helicopter carries earth to be used to shore up a levee on farmland inundated by widespread flooding as a series of atmospheric river storms melts record amounts of snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on March 24, 2023 near Corcoran, California. The once-massive Tule Lake disappeared as faming diverted its waters and developed on the rich soils of the lakebed. As levees become unable to hold back the floods, speculation is rising that the lake will be reborn. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
Guests:
Karla Nemeth, director, California Department of Water Resources<br />
Lois Henry, editor and CEO, SJV Water - an independent, nonprofit news site covering water in the San Joaquin Valley
Doug Verboon, district 3 supervisor, Kings County Board of Supervisors<br />
Kayode Kadara, community leader, Allensworth - in southwest Tulare County
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