What happened at Kesterson Reservoir?

What happened at Kesterson Reservoir?

Editors’ Summary: In 1983 Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge in central California achieved national prominence when Fish and Wildlife Service scientists discovered severely deformed and dead waterfowl at the refuge and concluded that the cause was selenium contamination from irrigation wastewater stored there.

Where is Kesterson Reservoir?

Merced County
The Kesterson Reservoir is part of the current San Luis National Wildlife Refuge in California….

What is the Kesterson effect?

The reservoir also gave rise to the term the “Kesterson Effect”— the biological accumulation of selenium traced “from rock to duck,”- following a paper published by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1994. After the discovery of the dead and deformed birds, tests were performed on the drainage water at Kesterson.

What percentage of the food grown in the US comes from the Central Valley in California?

Valley Facts Using fewer than 1% of U.S. farmland, the Central Valley supplies 8% of U.S. agricultural output (by value) and produces 1/4 of the Nation’s food, including 40% of the Nation’s fruits, nuts, and other table foods.

What element caused bird deformations in the Kesterson Reservoir?

This selenium and other drainage-related elements caused bird deaths and deformities. At Kesterson, scientists concluded that selenium toxicity passed up through the food chain caused 88 percent of bird deaths and deformities.

What is California’s largest crop?

California produces almonds worth $5.3 billion every year. 100% of commercial almonds in the United States and all of North America are grown in California, as are 80% of commercial almonds around the world….Leading products.

Why does California grow so much produce?

California’s farmers produce the lion’s share of the fruits, vegetables and tree nuts in the U.S. That’s thanks to the warm climate, which permits multiple growing seasons, and the state’s rich soils. Relying on irrigation allows farmers to apply just the amount of water they need to make their crops flourish.

What’s the biggest cash crop in America?

Corn
Update: In July, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) collected updated information on 2019 acres planted to corn, cotton, sorghum, and soybeans in 14 states.

What is California’s biggest food export?

almonds
California’s top valued agricultural export commodity continues to be almonds, with a value of nearly $4.5 billion in foreign sales in 2017.

What is the number 1 crop in California?

California’s Top 10 Agricultural Commodities Almonds — $5.62 billion. Grapes — 4.48 billion. Pistachios — $2.87 billion. Cattle and Calves — $2.74 billion.

What does California grow the most of?

California produces almost all of the country’s almonds, apricots, dates, figs, kiwi fruit, nectarines, olives, pistachios, prunes, and walnuts. It leads in the production of avocados, grapes, lemons, melons, peaches, plums, and strawberries. Only Florida produces more oranges.

Is the Kesterson Reservoir in California a wildlife refuge?

The Kesterson Reservoir is part of the current San Luis National Wildlife Refuge in California. Formerly a unit of the Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge, the reservoir was an important stopping point for migratory waterfowl.

Where does the name Kesterson Reservoir come from?

The Kesterson Reservoir is the name of a former unit of the Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge which is part of the current San Luis National Wildlife Refuge.

Who was Secretary of Interior when Kesterson Reservoir was closed?

Nearly fifteen years later, on March 15, 1985, Secretary of Interior Donald Hodel or- dered the immediate closure of the Refuge’s Kesterson Reservoir, in large part * Phil Garone is a doctoral candidate in History and a master of science candidate in Ecology at the University of California at Davis.

How long will Kesterson be used as a disposal site?

The use of Kesterson as a disposal site for such irrigation wastewater will cease in six months, but the problems it has raised will not soon fade. The contamination at the site must be cleaned up and further contamination prevented.

What happened at Kesterson Reservoir? Editors’ Summary: In 1983 Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge in central California achieved national prominence when Fish and Wildlife Service scientists discovered severely deformed and dead waterfowl at the refuge and concluded that the cause was selenium contamination from irrigation wastewater stored there. Where is Kesterson Reservoir? Merced County The Kesterson…