Salinity Management Guide
A stream that drains the Sierra Nevada
Fundamentals
Sources of salt-related ions in water
Salinity of California irrigation waters
The salinity of streams, lakes, and groundwater that provide irrigation water in California varies greatly, reflecting the broad range of geology that exists within the state's watersheds.
The granite, diorite, and other igneous rocks of the Sierra Nevada Range are relatively salt-free. Consequently, the rivers that drain the Sierra Nevada carry fresh water that's of low salinity. Man-made conduits that draw from those rivers — for example, the Friant-Kern Canal — likewise carry water of low salinity.
The Salinas River, which drains part of the Coast Range, carries more salt than does a similar-sized river in the Sierra, Nevada.
Much of California's Coast Range consists of shales and other fine-grained rocks that contain relatively high amounts of salt. As a result, groundwater within these rocks and the water in surface streams that drain these watersheds often are higher in salt than Sierra Nevada waters.
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