"For San Joaquin River, a Historic Reawakening"

"It All Starts Thursday With a Gentle Surge of Water To Be Released From Friant Dam Into the San Joaquin River.

a Massive, Unprecedented and Unpredictable River Restoration Project Will Begin, Reawakening Miles of Dried Riverbed and Salmon Runs That Have Been Extinct for Six Decades.

Since the Dam Was Built in the 1940S, Long Stretches of the River Have Been Dry. Parts Have Become a Gutter for the San Joaquin Valley, Collecting Muddy Seepage, Trash and Abandoned Cars.

Now, in a Nine-Year Effort That Could Cost up To $1.2 Billion, the 350-Mile San Joaquin Will Be Reconnected With the Pacific Ocean. Salmon, Which once Teemed in Its Waters, May Again Migrate From Near Fresno To the Ocean."

Mark Grossi Reports for the Fresno Bee September 26, 2009.