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<br />_ 00286t <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Over half of the area lies below sea level and man-made levees <br />partially protect the several islands from flood and tidal waters. <br />Maintenance of the many miles of levee required is rendered <br />especially difficult by the land subsidence which occurs throughout <br />the Delta and poor foundation conditions. Several towns and cities <br />as well as an expanding industrial complex are located in and <br />adjacent to the westerly portion of the Delta. Much of the water <br />used for irrigation in the Delta and by industry to the west is <br />pumped from the Delta channels and the river below. Boating and <br />fishing are extensive in the Delta and runs of salmon, steelhead <br />and striped bass traverse the area to reach the upper Sacramento <br />River and its tributaries. The Contra Costa and Delta-Mendota <br />Canals of the Bureau of Reclamation's Central Valley Project head <br />in the Delta and divert water originating primarily in the <br />Sacramento River. Upon completion of the East Side Canals proposed <br />by the Bureau, and the State Water Facilities under construction <br />by the Department of Water Resources, the amount of water so <br />diverted will be greatly increased. Prior to construction of <br />Shasta Dam, saline water from San Francisco Bay intruded into the <br />Delta during periods of low stream flow. Since then, stored <br />water has been released to prevent this. It is estimated that <br />plans presented in the bulletin would make possible the salvage <br />of an annual average of about 2,000,000 acre-feet of water which <br />would otherwise be required for salinity control over a 60-year <br />period. <br /> <br />The alternative plans presented in the report will, to <br /> <br /> <br />a varying degree, provide improved flood control, an assured water <br /> <br />-3- <br />