CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : STOCKTON : Dam Proposed to Stem Water Decline

With ground-water tables dropping rapidly during the drought, San Joaquin County may try to build a reservoir along the Mokelumne River. The $666-million project would store 435,000 acre feet of water and provide 80 megawatts of electricity annually. It is among six projects being considered to stem the declining ground-water table and possible contamination. “Our ground-water table is dropping two feet a year,” Supervisor George Barber said. “It’s going down like crazy, and we’re going to run out of water. I’m convinced of that.”