SGMA, State System, Water Markets

The sinking Central Valley town

May 25, 2021

• by Lois Henry

Lois Henry

PHOTOS AND MORE

Please CLICK HERE to view the page created by Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism, SJV Water’s partner on this story for illustrative graphics, photos and more!

And CLICK HERE for the New York Times page.

RYAN JONES PHOTO GALLERY

The Cross Creek Levee in Corcoran, CA was rebuilt in 2017 after having sunk seven feet since 1983. The levee is now at least twice the size of the previous one and protects the town from flood water coming from the south and west.

The soil of the old Tulare Lake bed is a silty, heavy, clay that does not expand or contract with fluctuations in water levels.

Political signs on State Route 43 just outside the city limits of Corcoran, CA support the construction of more dams. As more water in California has been held back in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to protect endangered species and the farming footprint has increased, competition for water has increased

The James G. Boswell II Community Park in Corcoran, CA. The park is named for the company founder’s nephew who ran the company from 1949-2009 and grew it from a regional farming operation to an international farming and development corporation.

Political signs on State Route 43 just outside the city limits of Corcoran, CA support the construction of more dams. As more water in California has been held back in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to protect endangered species and the farming footprint has increased, competition for water has increased

A cactus in front of a home near Whitey Ave. in Corcoran, CA.

Birds circle above the Cross Creek Levee in Corcoran, CA.

A dead coyote on the Cross Creek Levee in Corcoran, CA.

Madison Thomas, 18, trains her pig, “Haus,” at the Corcoran High School farm. Forty percent of the kids in the high school are involved in an agriculture class.

Jamin Coleman says the area in front of his girlfriend’s aunt’s house on the south side of Corcoran, CA is prone to flooding with water sometimes reaching the upper part of his car’s tires.

A mural of regional wilderness scenes on the Corcoran Chamber of Commerce in Corcoran, CA.

Corcoran, CA is listed by the state as a severely disadvantaged community with a median income of $40,000 a year. The city council has been working to attract growth including refurbishing the downtown by improving sidewalks, adding benches, parklets and other public amenities.

Lifelong Corcoran, CA residents David Quintero and his girlfriend, Christina Escobedo, fish on the Corcoran Cross Creek Levee. They are among the residents who paid the tax to rebuild the levee in 2017.

Canals are filled with groundwater that flows alongside the Corcoran Cross Creek Levee.

A well stands at the edge of a new pistachio orchard owned by J. G. Boswell Company at Quebec and 6th Ave Southwest of Corcoran, CA.

A man walks over the Cross Creek Levee along Niles Ave. in Corcoran, CA. In addition to providing protection to the town from flooding and having cost the community tens of millions of dollars to construct and repair, the levee is popular for runners and walkers.

SJV WATER PHOTO GALLERY

The Corcoran City Council debated how to enhance the community using new sales tax money at its April 13, 2021 meeting. CREDIT: Lois Henry

Groundwater is pumped into a ditch on land owned by the J.G. Boswell Company in March 2021. CREDIT: Lois Henry

Pelicans float on top of water filling one of the Hacienda flood cells on land owned by the J. G. Boswell Company in March 2021. CREDIT: Lois Henry

A tractor sits idle next to the levee surrounding Corcoran. In 2017, residents had to pay $10 million to repair the levee which had sunk due to subsidence. CREDIT: Lois Henry

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Editor’s note: This article was produced by SJV Water, the Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism (CCIJ) and the New York Times. The collaboration between SJV Water and CCIJ was led by the Institute for Nonprofit News as part of a project called “Tapped Out: Power, justice and water in the West.” This story was written with funding from the Fund for Investigative Journalism, the Water Desk and support from Ensia.

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Lois Henry

SJV Water is an independent, nonprofit news site dedicated to covering water in the San Joaquin Valley. Get inside access to SJV Water by becoming a member.

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