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E. W. Hilgard and the History of Irrigation in the San Joaquin Valley: Stunning Productivity, Slowly Undone by Inadequate Drainage

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Salinity and Drainage in San Joaquin Valley, California

Part of the book series: Global Issues in Water Policy ((GLOB,volume 5))

Abstract

After the California gold rush in 1894, the attention turned to farming. Soon irrigated agriculture flourished aided by federal policies in settling the West and providing water supply. It continued to expand with favorable water rights and policies, advancements in irrigation technologies, and imported water supplies. The need of subsurface drainage was long understood but failed to materialize due to lack of collective actions. The salinity drainage predicament in the San Joaquin Valley culminated in the selenium eco-toxicological harms further complicated the disposal issues.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA

    James D. Oster

  2. Institute of Water Policy, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Dennis Wichelns

Authors
  1. James D. Oster
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  2. Dennis Wichelns
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Correspondence to James D. Oster .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Water Resources, University of California, Riverside, California, USA

    Andrew C. Chang

  2. Center for Water Resources, University of California, Riverside, California, USA

    Deborah Brawer Silva

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Oster, J.D., Wichelns, D. (2014). E. W. Hilgard and the History of Irrigation in the San Joaquin Valley: Stunning Productivity, Slowly Undone by Inadequate Drainage. In: Chang, A., Brawer Silva, D. (eds) Salinity and Drainage in San Joaquin Valley, California. Global Issues in Water Policy, vol 5. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6851-2_2

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