California receives an average of 193 million acre feet of precipitation each year. Of this total, more than 100 million acre feet evaporates or seeps into ground water. The state’s yearly average is 71 million acre-feet useable surface water. Current water demand for industrial and agricultural use is about 6 million acre feet per year, while agriculture uses approximately 31 million acre feet of water each year.
Precipitation in California ranges from 2” in some desert areas to as much as 100” along northwestern coast. Precipitation can fall as rain, snow, sleet, hail, or dew. Most precipitation falls in the winter months. In California, nearly 75% of precipitation falls north of Sacramento, while nearly 80% of water needs are south of Sacramento. Demand for water is highest during the summer and fall.
Managed water supplies are critical to the state’s economic and environmental health. Much of the water California residents use in their homes originates in watersheds far away from where the water is used. A number of water projects deliver water from wetter regions to dryer regions of the state.
California’s agriculture is also dependent on these water projects. Almost all California’s farmlands depend on irrigation to support crops. |
