A lot of the flooding danger the San Joaquin Delta is self-inflicted -- and they keep on making it worse. Right now, developers are building major housing developments on former ag land immediately adjacent to old, substandard levees. The logic is, they haven't given yet, so.... Some of this land is actually below water level even in summer. And people actually buy the houses.
My sister lives in a house on a spit of land that sticks out into the Carquinez Straits, by Benicia. That's basically the conduit through which the Delta drains into SF Bay. Anyway, her "lot" was spang up on the bay, hardly above sea level, and basically a swamp. They had to drive concrete pilings to support the house. The houes has got a great view westward down the strait, but it's not going to last for the ages... one of these days, a flood of rainwater or snowmelt coming west down from the delta is going to happen at the same time as a spring tide (extremely high tide) and incoming storm heading east, and the water's going to come straight through her living room window....
Last edited by Rodney; 02-18-2006 at 10:45 PM..
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