Jones Tract facts for kids
USGS aerial picture of the tract.
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 Jones Tract
Location in Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta
Jones Tract
Location in California
Jones Tract
Location in the United States
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Northern California |
| Coordinates | 37°56′14″N 121°29′11″W / 37.937158°N 121.486473°W |
| Adjacent bodies of water | Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta |
| Area | 12,000 acres (4,900 ha) |
| Administration | |
| State |  California |
| County | San Joaquin |
The Jones Tract is an island located in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta. It is about 15 kilometers (9 miles) west of Stockton. This area is made up of two parts: the Lower Jones Tract and the Upper Jones Tract.
The island covers about 4,900 hectares (12,000 acres). It is surrounded by different waterways. To the north is Empire Cut, to the northeast is Whiskey Slough, and to the southeast is Trapper Slough. On the west side, you'll find Middle River.
The Jones Tract is split in two by several things that run side-by-side. These include the Mokelumne Aqueduct, West Lower Jones Road, and a railroad. This railroad was first built by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Today, it carries freight trains from the BNSF Railway and passenger trains like Amtrak California's San Joaquin. The island is part of San Joaquin County. A group called Reclamation District 2039 helps manage it.
The 2004 Levee Break
On June 3, 2004, something big happened at the Upper Jones Tract. A levee (a wall built to hold back water) near Woodward Island broke. This caused the entire island to flood with a huge amount of water. More than 150,000 acre-feet of water poured in. To give you an idea, this is enough water to cover 150,000 acres (about 60,000 hectares) one foot deep!
The island lies about 3 meters (10 feet) below sea level. This means it is lower than the water around it. Because of this, when the levee broke, the water rushed in and filled the whole area.
It took three weeks to fix the broken levee. After the wall was repaired, it took another five months to pump all the water out of the island. The pumps were finally turned off on December 18, 2004. Fixing the levee and removing the water was very expensive. The repairs cost around $90 million.
