In the days of yore, Tulare Lake was the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi. Then in the 19th century, the lake in what would become Kings County in California was drained by agricultural farms as the fertile soil was used to grow nuts, cotton, tomatoes, and safflower. In its place was a small lake that reappeared during rainy times, but most of the acreage went to farmland. Then in 2023, winter storms dumped enough snow and water to resurrect Tulare Lake to more than 100,000 acres of water! Farmers found their fields underwater and orchards drowned. Tourists flocked in, but they couldn’t swim in the lake because the water was laden with agricultural chemicals and had irrigation equipment in it.
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But those who held out hope that Tulare was back to stay had their visions dashed this year. As fast as Tulare grew, it has once again shrunk to almost nothing. Read about disappearance, reappearance, and second disappearance of Tulare Lake at the Guardian. -via Damn Interesting
(Image: USGS/the Guardian)
Source: neatorama