Lake Tulare Makes a Comeback

Lake Tulare, once the largest body of freshwater west of the Mississippi, vanished in the late 19th century largely due to agricultural drainage. Its resurgence over the last year has stirred a mix of challenges and opportunities for the San Joaquin Valley.

Historically, during the late 1800s, Lake Tulare stretched more than 100 miles long and 30 miles wide, serving as a significant route for steamships traveling between Bakersfield and San Francisco. However, the lake’s disappearance was instigated by extensive irrigation practices. The Tachi Yokut people, who referred to it as “Paasi,” depended on these lakes, sourced chiefly from snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Vivian Underhill, a former postdoc researcher at Northeastern University, notes, “It’s really hard to imagine what it was like.” In her research, she points to the recent re-emergence of the lake as a direct result of the Atmospheric Rivers that impacted California in 2023. This revival has profoundly affected indigenous communities, wildlife, and agricultural workers in the region.

Underhill explains that the steamships once carried agricultural goods along the waterways, bridging areas from Bakersfield to Fresno and even extending around 300 miles away. However, the connections between the “ancestral lake” and these waterways have been lost due to artificial irrigation practices.

While the San Joaquin Valley’s landscape remains predominantly arid, the recent melting of heavy snowfall has led to flooding in agricultural areas and communities. This not only brings challenges but also encourages a reevaluation of historical water management strategies.