Water in California:
Self-induced Scarcity
Waterscape International Group
Perceptions
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Do you think California is a drought prone state?
Why?
What is the most pressing water quality or
quantity dilemma?
What scales of analysis are useful for
understanding water in California?
How can we measure the effect of water
diversions on ecosystems?
What groups should have the burden of meeting
water needs?
What technological fixes might help reduce
scarcity?
Objective
California is well-endowed with
water, yet faces shortages.
 Why?
 How can this be remedied?
 How does this relate to
environmental science?
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Overview
Natural Setting of California
 Water Use in the State
 Water Distribution (Central Valley
and State Water Projects)
 Roots of Scarcity
 Quality Intermingled
 Options for the Future
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Part 1
The Natural Setting
MapShaded
Relief of
California
Map-Annual Precipitation
Map-Major River Systems
MapGround
water
Basins
Part 2
Water Use in
California
Urban Surface Water
Consumption
Urban Groundwater
Consumption
Irrigation Surface Water
Use
Irrigation Groundwater Use
Agricultural and Urban
Water Use Statistics
Domestic consumption of
groundwater & surface water = 3
MAF and 3 MAF, respectively.
 Agricultural consumption of
groundwater & surface water = 12.2
MAF and 19.5 MAF, respectively.
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Map-Agricultural Land in
California
MapCentral
Valley
Project
Central Valley Project Facts
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400 miles, from the Cascade Mountains near Redding to
the Tehachapi Mountains near Bakersfield
20 dams and reservoirs, 11 powerplants, and 500 miles of
major canals
9 million acre-feet of water annually managed
Annually delivers about 7 million acre-feet
5 million acre-feet for farms
600,000 acre-feet for municipal use
5.6 billion kilowatt hours of electricity (~2 million people)
800,000 acre-feet per year to fish and wildlife and their
habitat and 410,00 acre-feet to State and Federal wildlife
refuges and wetlands (CVPIA, 1992)
MapState
Water
Project
State Water Project Facts
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1973-Store water and distribute it to 29 urban and
agricultural water suppliers in Northern California, the San
Francisco Bay Area, the San Joaquin Valley, and Southern
California.
Water quality in the Delta, control Feather River flood
waters, provide recreation, and enhance fish and wildlife.
32 storage facilities, reservoirs and lakes; 17 pumping
plants; 3 pumping-generating plants; 5 hydroelectric
power plants; and about 660 miles of open canals and
pipelines.
Supplemental water to approximately 20 million
Californians and about 660,000 acres of irrigated
farmland.
All
Water
Projects
Consequences
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What are some of the consequences
for the environment of this
distribution system?
Part 3
Factors complicating
the allocation of
water among
agricultural,
domestic, and
environmental uses
The Problem: 7 Reasons to
Worry
Water allocation system is inflexible
 Population Growth
 Federal Endangered Species Act
 Federal Clean Water Act
 Colorado River 4.4 MAF
 Normal Climate Variability
 Long-term Climate Variability
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Water Allocation
California Doctrine (Appropriation
and Riparian Rights)
 Permits to surface water
 Permits to groundwater
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Population Growth
Federal Regulations
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Clean Water Act
Section 303(d): Total Maximum Daily
Loads for “impaired waters”
 Source Water Protection
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Endangered Species Act
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Critical habitat protections
• Salmon
Climate Variability
Normal climate variability
 Anthropogenic climate forcing
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The Result
Need more water for regulatory
purposes
 Difficult to adjust allocations
 Groundwater is not permitted or
even accounted
 Et increased due to irrigationflow
decreasedreduced assimilative
capacity
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Part 4
Case Study:
Selenium Toxicity at
Kesterson Reservoir
Map-Kesterson
Diablo Range
Map-Fans
Drainage
Patterns
Bio
Part 5
Options
Improve Allocation
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Demand side
Water Transfers (land retirement)
 Efficiency
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Supply
Surface water storage
 Groundwater storage (conjunctive use)
 Desalinization
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Water quality
Real-time monitoringassimilative
capacity
 Irrigation changes
 Drain
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Closing Thoughts
Other topics-Quality
 Water-rich landscape
 Integrated system
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Hydrology-ecology interface
 SW-GW interactions
 Quality and quality connections
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Increasing demands
 Longer-term planning
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References
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Department of Water Resources (1998).
California Water Plan: 160-98.
Letey, J (1986). An Agricultural Dilemma:
Drainage Disposal in the San Joaquin Valley.