1. CALIFORNIA’S WATER RESOURCES WATER NEEDS
AGRICULTURE
80% of CA’s water supply is used to grow crops!
2/3 is from surface water and the rest is from groundwater

2. CALIFORNIA’S WATER RESOURCES WATER NEEDS
HOMES AND BUSINESSES
Californians average about 380 liters per person per day!
The water is used to drink, bathe, cook, clean, etc.
That’s about the amount of water that a 100 gallon fish tank can hold!

3. Coal-Fired Power Plant
CALIFORNIA’S WATER RESOURCES
WATER NEEDS
INDUSTRIES
This water is used to make products like beverages and paper, as a coolant for machinery, or products, or as an energy source for power plants
Coal-Fired Power Plant

4. CALIFORNIA’S WATER RESOURCES WATER NEEDS
RECREATION AND WILDLIFE USE
This water is used to preserve wetlands, fisheries, and other habitats
and some water ways are reserved for activities such as rafting & kayaking

5. Most freshwater starts as snow in the mountains
CALIFORNIA’S WATER SUPPLY
CALIFORNIA’S WATER RESOURCES
The main sources of CA’s freshwater supply are:
1) Precipitation
2) Surface water
3) Groundwater
Most freshwater starts as snow in the mountains

6. CALIFORNIA’S WATER SUPPLY CALIFORNIA’S WATER RESOURCES
PRECIPITATION
Ventura Co.’s average precipitation is 35 cm/year
The average rainfall for CA is 58 cm/year, its not evenly distributed
Only 35% of CA’s precipitation stays at the surface or seeps into the ground, the rest is lost to evaporation or transpiration

7. Where in CA does the most precipitation occur?
CALIFORNIA’S WATER RESOURCES
CALIFORNIA’S WATER SUPPLY
PRECIPITATION
Where in CA does the most precipitation occur?

8. Another one of the major sources of CA’s water is the Colorado River
CALIFORNIA’S WATER SUPPLY
CALIFORNIA’S WATER RESOURCES
SURFACE WATER
Some of CA’s precipitation flows back into lakes, rivers, and streams that make up the state’s drainage basins or watersheds
Northern CA provides more than ½ of the state’s freshwater needs during droughts
Another one of the major sources of CA’s water is the Colorado River

9. CALIFORNIA’S WATER SUPPLY CALIFORNIA’S WATER RESOURCES
GROUND WATER
Accounts for 30% of fresh water used in CA
Most comes from AQUIFERS: rocks or soils containing groundwater
A larger percentage is used during drought years

10. CALIFORNIA’S WATER SUPPLY CALIFORNIA’S WATER RESOURCES
DESALINATION OF SEAWATER
Removal of salt from ocean water to obtain fresh water
The salt water is under high pressure which is forced through a filter to remove the salt
This process is expensive!

11. Long aqueducts that carry water from its source to where it is needed
CALIFORNIA’S WATER PROJECTS
CALIFORNIA’S WATER RESOURCES
CA WATER PROJECTS
To meet water needs, CA has a network of storage and distribution systems, or water projects
We need these projects because CA’s population is unevenly distributed across the state, mainly in arid parts of southern CA
Long aqueducts that carry water from its source to where it is needed

12. CALIFORNIA’S WATER PROJECTS CALIFORNIA’S WATER RESOURCES
LOCAL WATER PROJECTS
Long aqueducts that carry water from its source to where it is needed
These long drainage pipes carry snow melt from mountains to cities