A morning article flowing through my newsfeed today, caught my attention - I recognized the name & the place.
Holland & I were visiting his relatives, and Daytripping through the San Joaquin Valley-CA … and ended up in Tulare-CA, where this lake was gobbling up land. The title of the following article is not truthful (it's a media thirst-trap heading), as Holland obviously knew about this Lake - and where it was located: his mother's family had lived and worked all over CA; Holland, as well as several of his siblings, had been born in CA (Holland born in Santa Cruz-CA). Many relatives still live in CA … they all knew about this Lake.
But, Holland was born in 1962. He had never seen the Lake - his Grandparents, Great Aunts-Uncles-Cousins did; but 2024 was his first view - as it was mine, also:
My 2024 Post~TULARE LAKE-CA: (https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2024/03/tulare-lakeca.html)
Holland has spent half of his life living in, working in, and visiting family in California’s Central Valley - we are currently hunkered down in Coalinga, which is part of the Central Valley. The Lake's location is not "a forgotten memory"; he's heard about it, all his life; & we saw it from a distant road side look, 22 months ago.
I'm sure there are still lots of people - living, remembering, and sharing knowledge, of Lake Tulare … without the media hysteria, or race-baiting political finagling's.
Lake Tulare is still flooding the valley.
{{After 130 Years Gone, Ghost Lake Suddenly Returns and Wipes Nearly 100,000 Acres off the Map
A forgotten lake just wiped 94,000 acres of California farmland off the map, again, reigniting battles over climate, agriculture, and Indigenous rights in America’s most contested farmland.
Published on January 23, 2026~Written by Arezki Amiri
A long-vanished lake has reappeared in California’s Central Valley, submerging nearly 94,000 acres of farmland and reviving disputes over water rights, land management, and environmental justice. Tulare Lake, historically the largest freshwater body west of the Mississippi, returned in early 2023 following months of record-breaking precipitation.
Its resurgence overwhelmed engineered flood control systems across Kings County. Farmland, roads, and critical infrastructure were inundated, prompting evacuations, halting agricultural operations, and exposing gaps in the state’s water management strategy.
Nearly two years later, portions of the basin remain underwater. Drainage efforts continue, but experts say full reclamation may take years. The reappearance of the lake has sharpened debates around California’s preparedness for extreme weather events, Indigenous land claims, and the future of Central Valley agriculture.
When Water Beats Concrete
After consecutive atmospheric rivers and historic Sierra Nevada snowpack levels, runoff surged into the Tulare Basin in spring 2023. Satellite imagery from NASA showed the lake expanding rapidly between June 2023 and June 2024, refilling a dry natural basin that had been cultivated for over a century.
Much of the flooded land belongs to large agribusinesses, including the J.G. Boswell Company. Crops such as cotton, almonds, and pistachios were lost. Farm equipment, electrical systems, and chemical storage sites were submerged. As reported by Earth.com, floodwaters reached fertilizer sheds, manure piles, and electrical infrastructure, prompting concerns over potential leaching into groundwater systems.
California’s Central Valley relies heavily on groundwater for both municipal and agricultural use. The aquifer system has already been impacted by decades of over-pumping and recurring drought. Researchers monitoring the lake’s return documented algae blooms and nutrient runoff, indicating further stress on water quality, as detailed in the Open Rivers Journal’s report on Pa’ashi’s resurgence.
County emergency managers attempted to redirect water onto Boswell-controlled fields to prevent damage elsewhere. These requests were denied, according to accounts published by Open Rivers, shifting floodwaters toward communities like Alpaugh, Allensworth, and Cutler, which faced evacuations and property loss.
The Return of Pa’ashi: Colonial Unknowing and California’s Tulare Lake: (https://openrivers.lib.umn.edu/article/the-return-of-paashi/)
A Cultural Revival, Blocked by Fences
For the Tachi Yokut tribe, the return of Tulare Lake—Pa’ashi in the Yokuts language—marked more than a flood. The lake once supported Indigenous villages, trade networks, and ceremonies before it was drained during California’s land reclamation campaigns of the late 1800s.
In spring 2023, ceremonies resumed at the shoreline. Tule reeds and native sage were replanted, and tribal members began teaching younger generations about the lake’s role in cultural identity. However, the tribe lacks legal access to the water. State laws governing private property and water rights prevent traditional use, including navigation.
“We can’t even get a canoe out there to actually honor our ancestors,” said Carlos Garcia Jr., a tribal liaison quoted in the Open Rivers Journal’s detailed analysis, which documents how fences, surveillance, and legal boundaries restrict Indigenous engagement with the water.
The Tachi Yokut are pursuing water rights under the Winters Doctrine, a legal framework granting federally recognized tribes access to water sources tied to their reservations. Tribal representatives argue that the framing of Tulare Lake’s return as a catastrophe ignores its cultural and ecological significance.
A Shrinking Aquifer and Rising Stakes
A 2022 study in Nature Climate Change found that climate warming has tripled the likelihood of a megaflood similar to the 1862 event that submerged large parts of California. The Central Valley, lacking natural outlets and heavily modified by agriculture, was identified as one of the most vulnerable zones.
Tulare Lake has reappeared multiple times during extreme rain events in the 20th century, including 1906, 1916, 1922, and 1938. Each time, crops planted on its former bed were lost. Each time, the land was drained again. The 2023 flood is the most extensive resurgence in over a century.
Groundwater depletion poses another critical threat. The Public Policy Institute of California projects that without intervention, aquifers in the San Joaquin Valley could face irreversible overdraft within two decades. California’s 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act mandates local agencies to achieve balance by 2040, but progress is inconsistent.
Efforts to recharge aquifers face logistical hurdles and contamination risks. Many proposed recharge zones have been polluted with historical pesticide residues, including 1,2,3-trichloropropane, a toxic chemical still found in parts of the Central Valley. Some water banking projects, designed to store surface water underground, are also affected by lingering pollutants from past agricultural use.
Despite this, by late 2025, companies including the Wonderful Company and Boswell resumed planting on parts of the recently drained lakebed. These actions have reignited fears of repeating the historical cycle of flood, loss, and re-drainage without long-term planning.
Investigations Advance as Floodwaters Recede
In early 2025, the California State Water Resources Control Board launched a formal review of flood response decisions during the Tulare Lake reemergence. Investigators are examining whether powerful landowners influenced water diversion plans at the expense of vulnerable communities.
Simultaneously, the California Environmental Protection Agency began monitoring groundwater quality in flood-affected towns. Testing in mid-2024 revealed elevated nitrate levels in shallow wells near agricultural zones, supporting concerns over chemical seepage during peak flooding.
So far, no new levee expansions or flood mitigation infrastructure have been approved. Several proposed retention projects remain in early planning stages, hampered by funding constraints and disputes over land access. Some lawmakers have called for restrictions on replanting within historically flood-prone basins until risk maps are updated and protections are installed.
The Tachi Yokut tribe continues to press for the recognition of Tulare Lake as a protected ecological and cultural zone. Tribal leaders are also exploring partnerships to develop conservation easements that could limit future development in the lakebed.}}
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