California Levee Break
June 4, 2004

Levee Breaks in California

Officials hurried to safeguard drinking water for cities as far away as Los Angeles on Thursday after a break in an inland levee allowed saltwater from the San Francisco Bay to rush into a freshwater delta. It was unclear how much saltwater had passed through the breach, which grew to 300 feet by late afternoon, or how deep into the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta the saltwater had traveled, officials said. Drinking water is channeled from the delta to much of California. Officials said it was unclear how the break occurred.