CALIFORNIA WATER BRIEFING

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California Water Briefing
Department of Water Resources
APRIL 2006
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Overview

• Most populous state in U.S. represents about
  12 of national population
• Estimated 2005 population of 37 million
• Projected 2020 population of 44 million
• Top agricultural production state in the nation
  for more than 50 years.
• About 9 million acres of irrigated cropland

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Physical Setting

• Majority of population is located within 100
  miles from the Pacific Ocean, from the San
  Francisco Bay Area south to the Mexican border
• The Central Valley represents about 80 of the
  irrigated agricultural acreage
• Largely Mediterranean-type climate

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Economic Setting

• 8TH largest economy in the world
• 2004 Gross State Product (GSP) of 1.6 trillion
• Percentage contribution to GSP by economic
  sector shown at right

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Hydrology Overview

• Average annual runoff from precipitation falling
  on California is 71 MAF
• Average annual surface water supplies are the 71
  MAF of in-state runoff plus 7 MAF from flows in
  interstate rivers, for a total of 78 MAF
• More than 70 of the surface runoff occurs in
  Northern California, while more than 70 of the
  needs for water occur in Southern California

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Importance of Sierra Snowpack

• Sierra Nevada runoff supplies directly or
  indirectly (through groundwater recharge) a
  majority of Californias urban and agricultural
  water needs
• Relies on complicated system of operating Sierran
  reservoirs to provide both water storage and
  flood control capacity

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Mean Annual Precipitation in California, 1961 to
1990
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Distribution of Average Annual Precipitation and
Runoff
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Groundwater

• Statewide, in an average year groundwater
  supplies about 30 of urban and agricultural
  water uses.
• There are 431 delineated groundwater basins in
  California

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Agricultural and Urban Demand Supplied by
Groundwater in Each Hydrologic Region
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Groundwater Basins and Subbasins