The Once and Future Delta: Mending the Broken Heart of California

In the 150 years since the Gold Rush, the natural delta has been changed beyond recognition. Its physical layout has changed, the movement of waters through it has changed, and its plants and animals have changed. It now appears to be on the verge of a further transformation.

About the only thing people agree on about the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is that it’s in a heap of trouble. But this 1,000-square-mile patchwork of islands, sloughs, wetlands, and farmlands is also a rich and complex if highly altered ecosystem at the core of the San Francisco Estuary. Here we take a look behind today’s news to understand what the Delta once was, how it has been changed, and what it might become . . . with a lot of help from its friends.