Carbon dioxide project could help the Delta

[XemaSab]

Government scientists and researchers at UC Davis will test a novel way to capture a gas associated with global warming before it gets into the air, and possibly help shore up levees in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

The California Department of Water Resources on Wednesday said it has awarded $12.3 million to a project that aims to discover whether carbon dioxide can be stored in marsh plants and soils while also restoring Delta islands and, in the process, protecting levees.

Delta islands consist mostly of organic peat soils, which evaporate when exposed to the atmosphere via farming and development. As a result, many islands have become bowls, with interiors more than 20 feet below sea level.

This can weaken surrounding levees, creating what scientists said is at least a 20 percent chance that multiple islands will flood in an earthquake within the next 25 years.

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/1105308.html

[depakid]

1. That sounds like a win/win prospect for everyone involved.