U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology Program--Proceedings of the Technical Meeting, Colorado Springs, Colorado, September 20-24, 1993, Water-Resources Investigations Report 94-4015

Hydrodynamics of California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and the Collection of Flow Data for the Tracking of Pesticides

Abstract

The Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers drain the Central Valley of California where 10 percent of the pesticides used in the United States are applied. The two rivers converge at the head of San Francisco Bay, forming a complex delta consisting of many interconnected sloughs and channels. The tracking of pesticides within and through the delta is difficult because flows are being manipulated constantly and measured-flow data are lacking. Ultrasonic velocity meters and an acoustic Doppler flow-measuring system are being used to collect the flow data necessary to improve understanding of the hydrodynamics of the delta and to track pesticides entering the delta.