California case study

Question 1

What are the main sources of water in California?

Answer 1

• majority of their water comes from surface water (30% from groundwater aquifers)
• small proportion from desalinated seawater
• six main local, state, federal funded water systems manage/ redistribute water from 10 water basins

Question 2

Why does water stress occur? (in California) 5

Answer 2

• spatial imbalance (3/4 of precip falls to the north, 3/4 population lives in the south of Sacramento)
• demand for water exceeds natural supplies
• low level of precip ( highest 300-500 mm)
  (65% lost to evapotranspiration)

-climate change ^ variability of rainfall by ^ pressure in west pacific ocean stops storms reaching California

• groundwater demand ^ by 60% in drought years (strain on unsustainable aquifers- not recharged since 1999)

Question 3

How do the water sources relate to climate, geology and drainage? (in California)

Question 4

How are they increasing water supply? (in California)

Answer 4

• water schemes (e.g. SWP, CVPCA, CRWS) have met demand until recent (drought^ water demand^)
• water agencies increasingly using groundwater sources
• southern LA, communities rely on contaminated groundwater sources (has to be treated/purified- expens)
• Tulare county citizens: rely on private water wells

-aid programmes (bottled water donations)

Question 5

Are there any environmental impacts of the current approaches to providing a water supply? How sustainable is the current supply? (in California)

Answer 5

• unsustainable
• number of private wells dried out from Sept to Dec 2015 (800)

-land becoming more barren, rivers drying up (Tule river drying up)

Question 6

Are there any conflicts? (in California)

Answer 6

• Political arguments over ownership of the Colorado river by usa and mexico

-80% of california’s water used for farming, farmers use most advanced/scientific method for irrigation (sprinkler)

-1.6 million hectares of land flooded- more development needed

Question 7

How are they managing consumption? (in California)

Question 8

How do these factors affect human welfare in California? (in California)

Question 9

Brief evaluation of the management of water in California (in California)

Question 10

name of the water systems that provide for california

Answer 10

SWP (State water project)

CVPCA (central valley project’s california aqueduct)

CRWS (Colorado river water scheme)

Question 11

where does SWP, CVPCA and CRWS provide water?

Answer 11

SWP, CVPCA both:
central/ southern California

CRWS:
southern regions & neighbouring states (nevada)