The Big Melt transformed California. A journey down a great river shows how
The historic snowstorms that buffeted California this year fundamentally changed a state gripped by years of drought. From reducing fire risk to shoring up salmon runs to satisfying the thirst of faraway cities and farms, the state’s white-topped mountains have unleashed a torrent of melting snow that has touched nearly every aspect of life in California. From the peaks to the Pacific, it has been branded “The Big Melt,” and it continues to deliver well into summer. Water is the fuel of California, and decisions about who gets to use it and how it is used are a source of eternal conflict. What we can learn in a year of abundance will extend to the feared dry years ahead. One way to take stock of the melt is to travel 250 miles northeast of San Francisco to the headwaters of the Feather River, then follow the river back.