Two of the barriers would be aimed at reducing freshwater outflows from the Sacramento River, allowing it to better hold back sediment that would creep in from San Francisco Bay as river flows dwindle because of the drought.
The goal of the other barrier would be to keep salinity from seeping into the central Delta.
The Sacramento Bee reports () that the California Department of Water Resources is scrambling to obtain permits for the project, which could cost as much as $40 million. The goal is to place the barriers as soon as May 1.
But the plan is drawing criticism from farmers who draw irrigation water from the channels that would be dammed.
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