California’s Tulare Lake resurfaces after 130 years: How long will it last?

California’s Tulare Lake is making a big return after disappearing for over 130 years. The lake, located in California’s San Joaquin Valley, has started to rise again, covering more than 94,000 acres of farmland.
Tulare Lake once stretched over 100 miles long and 30 miles wide, making it the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River. It was an important source of water for local indigenous communities, like the Tachi Yokut tribe, who called the lake “Pa’ashi.” The lake was also used for transportation, with steamships carrying supplies from Bakersfield to San Francisco.
However, in the late 1800s, the lake started to dry up. Settlers wanted to use the land for farming, so irrigation canals and other systems were built to drain the lake. This drained Tulare Lake completely and turned the area into farmland. The local tribes were forced off their land, and the ecosystem suffered.
In 2023, after massive winter storms and snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada mountains, the lake began to return. The waters overwhelmed the canals meant to hold them back and started flooding the farmland again.
The return of Tulare Lake has brought life back to the area. Ducks, waterfowl, and even frogs are coming back to the lake’s shores after many years. This is helping to revive the ecosystem that was lost when the lake was drained.
While the return of the lake is good for the environment, it has also caused problems. The rising water is flooding private farmland. The return of the lake is also raising concerns. Although the lake has returned with power, it might not stay for long. This is actually the fifth time Tulare Lake has resurfaced since 1890. The lake has a history of coming back and disappearing, so it could dry up again in the future.