California is a beautiful fraud; a magnificent put-on, an exquisitely lush illusion. From the farmlands of the Central Valley to the swimming pools, green lawns and flowering landscapes of Southern California, it is all a brilliantly engineered masterpiece, an extensive rearrangement of the existing natural order, created by the ingenuity and will of man, and costing billions of taxpayer dollars in the process. The palm trees, the tropical flora and fauna, as well as the millions of people, all of it does not belong here. Not any of it. com report.
In the West, it is said that water flows uphill towards money, and nowhere else could that be truer than here in Southern California. About half of the water that flows freely from our taps started as snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and has traveled 444 miles from Northern California. It has leapt up 3000 feet to traverse the Tehachapi Mountains, and traveled through gigantic siphons, pumps and tunnels to reach us.
WATER DEVELOPMENT WAS KEY TO CALIFORNIA’S GROWTH
As early as 1900, Los Angeles had already outgrown its meager water supply, the Los Angeles River. William Mulholland found the water the growing city needed in the Owens Valley, and embarked on an ambitious project to bring it here. And ever since, California has remade its landscape on an unprecedented scale. There are reservoirs where there once was desert, desert where there once was cropland, and cropland where there once was a swampy marsh. Some rivers have been dried up; some rivers flow through mountains into other rivers’ beds; and some rivers flow backwards at times..
Since the Gold Rush, California has been transformed from a vast, sparsely populated area into one of the world’s leading agricultural and food production regions. Much of this development is due to the development of the area’s natural resources, most especially water. Water development, storage and distribution projects have transformed deserts into farmland, and supported development of large cities and towns. These water projects have helped make California a leading agricultural producer, a major manufacturing center, the most populated state in the country, and the eighth largest economy in the world.
However, this rapid and intensive development has not been without its consequences. Fish populations have been depleted, wetlands have been drained, and dams and levees have altered natural water flow patterns. Native species of many plants have declined or become extinct, and water quality has been impaired by agricultural, mining and urban sources.
IT NEVER RAINS IN CALIFORNIA …..
No other state has rearranged their environment to the same extent as California. The truth is, most of California is an arid semi-desert, with a climate similar to that of the North African Plain. Los Angeles is drier than Beirut. About 65 percent of the state receives less than 20 inches of rainfall per year, most of that in the winter months. The abundant sunshine and mild temperatures are ideal for agriculture; the only ingredient missing is the rain. California’s rainfall is seasonal – dry during the hot summer months, and wet for only a few months in the winter. Still, California has more irrigated acreage than any other state, thanks to massive water projects started early in the twentieth century and still continuing today.
WATER PROJECTS AND THE STATE’S ECONOMY
Water development has three primary goals: flood control, water storage, and hydroelectric power generation. California is home to four massive water projects: the Los Angeles Aqueduct brings water from the Owens Valley south to Los Angeles. The Colorado River Aqueduct brings water from the Colorado River for irrigation in the Imperial Valley and urban uses in Los Angeles and San Diego. The Central Valley Project irrigates farmland in the Central Valley and provides water to the Bay Area; the State Water Project brings water from the San Francisco Bay Delta and delivers it to farmers in the Central Valley, as well as providing water for urban uses in Southern California. In addition, the Hetch-Hetchy Aqueduct and the Mokelumne Aqueduct supply water to the Bay Area. (To see a map of all water projects in the state, click here.
Moving water around the state is an energy intensive process. Total energy used to pump and treat water accounts for at least 6.5% of total electricity used statewide. The State Water Project is the largest single consumer of electricity in the state, accounting for 2 to 3 percent of electrical energy use per year. Hydroelectric power does produce a portion of this energy back, but whether the project is a net user or net producer of energy depends upon the distance the water must be moved. In most cases, more energy is used than produced by these projects.
Water fuels the economy of California, and managing it properly is of paramount importance. It has also been a source of decades-long political wars. Besides the satisfying the needs of a growing population, demands for more water also comes from the agricultural industry, businesses, manufacturers and developers. These needs must be balanced against demands for protecting water quality and for protecting fisheries, wildlife and recreational interests. The fundamental controversy is one of distribution, as conflicts between these competing interests continue to be exacerbated by continued population growth and periods of drought.
Everything depends on the manipulation of water – capturing it behind dams, storing it in reservoirs, and rerouting it in concrete rivers over hundreds of miles. California has twelve hundred major dams, the two biggest irrigation projects on earth, and some of the biggest reservoirs in the country. Only about 25% is for urban use, the remainder is split between irrigation and environmental purposes.
AGRICULTURE IS IMPORTANT TO THE CALIFORNIA ECONOMY
One out of every six jobs in California is tied to agriculture in some way. California has the largest agricultural economy in the nation; half of the nation’s fruits, nuts, and vegetables are grown here. About 20% of the nation’s milk supply comes from California; 92% of all grapes grown in the United States are grown here. Cotton, foliage and flowers are also in the top 10 agricultural commodities produced in California. Fresno is the most productive county in the nation, with an agricultural worth of 3.5 billion dollars in 2000.
THE DELTA – CRITICAL LINK TO THE STATE’S WATER SUPPLY
Nearly two-thirds of the state receives its water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta area, also known as the Bay-Delta. The Delta is located where the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers converge and flow into the San Francisco Bay, and the mixture of fresh waters from the two rivers combines with the salty ocean water to create the largest estuary on the West Coast of North America.
The 940 square-mile Delta area is home to over 750 different species of plants and animals. The Delta is home to millions of migratory waterfowl that use the Pacific Flyaway every year from South America to Alaska. The Delta is also home to many species of fish, including salmon, steelhead fish, and the Delta smelt.
The population of the Delta smelt fish has seen a rapid decline in the past two years, falling to its lowest level ever measured. The Delta smelt are considered an indicator of the biological health of the Delta, and their population has dropped so precipitously that scientist fear they are on the brink of extinction. Other species, such as the Chinook salmon, are threatened as well.
The Delta pumps provide drinking water to more than 20 million people; and urban water agencies throughout the southland are dependent upon it, both directly and indirectly. 42% of the state’s annual runoff flows through the maze of islands, marshes and sloughs of the Delta. Massive pumps at the southern end of the marsh pull approximately 5.5 million acre-feet per year of fresh water from the waterways to feed both the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project.
However, these pumps suck in and kill significant amounts of fish, and these pumps have been the subject of a lawsuit recently. In December of 2006, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance filed suit in Alameda County Superior Court that the SWP does not have the proper permits to take (kill) certain fish species, such as the endangered Delta Smelt. In March of this year, the judge agreed and ruled that the pumps must be shut down within 60 days unless the state acquires the proper permits from the Department of Fish & Game. (It is important to note that the ruling is based on a lack of paper permitting, rather than the impact on threatened species.)
The Department of Water Resources issued a statement
after the ruling, stating “ … We find the prospect of curtailed pumping to be unacceptable in terms of the economic consequences to the state.” The DWR has appealed the ruling, asserting that the agency is in full compliance. In addition, the DWR states that it has extensive programs in place to protect the threatened fish species. The State Water Contractors (purchasers of the water) also disagrees with the court’s ruling and has announced plans to file an appeal of their own.
The Delta is a place where a lot of people live, and population is expected to continue to grow. There is a lot of water traffic in the Delta, with ships headed into the ports at Sacramento & Stockton. Three state highways cross the Delta, connecting the Bay Area to the Central Valley. There are also power lines, oil and gas transmission lines, and railroads throughout the area. The Delta also has more than a half a million acres of incredibly productive farmland.
In addition, the extensive levee system of the Delta has also been a major concern. Since 1850, 95% of the estuary’s wetlands and tidal marshes have been leveed and filled, with resulting loss of fish and wildlife habitat. There are 1600 miles of leveesthat protect the Delta and channel water through the area; most of these were built soon after the Gold Rush. These levees are susceptible to failure by erosion, seepage, rising sea levels, earthquakes, and land subsidence. If a levee failure occurred, salt water would flood many Delta islands, disrupting water deliveries to southern and central California. Water users would be forced users to rely on stored supplies. It could take several years for the water system to be restored if a major levee break occurred.
The Delta area is facing significant challenges over the next 50 to 100 years: land subsidence, sea level rise, regional climate change, earthquake risks, increasing urbanization, and the effects of invasive, non-native species on the wildlife.
To view a pdf of a 17-page document with pictures regarding the Delta, click here.
WHERE DOES OUR WATER COME FROM?
About half of the water used in the SCV is purchased from the State Water Project; the remainder is from local groundwater sources.
The Castaic Lake Water Agency is the water wholesaler for the Santa Clarita Valley, and provides water to the four retail water companies operating in the SCV: the Newhall County Water District, the Santa Clarita Water Division, the Valencia Water Company, and the L.A. County Waterworks Division #36..
The CLWA operates 2 treatment plants, 2 pump stations, 2 storage facilities, and over 17 miles of transmission pipelines. Castaic Lake is a reservoir built as part of the State Water Project for both water storage and recreational use.
THE STATE WATER PROJECT
The State Water Project is the major distribution system for urban water supplies. The 29 water agencies that buy SWP water have contracted for long-term deliveries of nearly 4 million acre-feet of water. However, the existing facilities allow the SWP to deliver between 2.5 & 3.5 million acre-feet per year during years with average rainfall; in dry years, only 1.1 million acre-feet can be delivered. When the SWP cannot deliver the full amount of water requested, municipalities must either rely on groundwater pumping or stored water in reservoirs.
In all but the wettest years, the SWP is unable to deliver 100% of the requested water. Last year, due to heavy snow and rainfall throughout the region, the SWP was able to deliver 100% of the water requested. This year has been a much drier year; statewide, the snowpack is at 46% of normal. Currently, the SWP is projecting water deliveries to be 60% this year, for a total of 2.5 million acre-feet.
This is especially meaningful to Southern California this year. Southern California is experiencing its driest rainfall year on record. Only 2.47 inches of rain have fallen in downtown Los Angeles since July 1st, which is only 18% of normal rainfall for this time of year. However, due to the unusually wet season last year, reservoir storage is at or above normal.
GROUNDWATER
Groundwater typically accounts for about 30% of statewide water use in a year; it can be up to 40% in a drought year. Nearly one in three Californians rely solely on groundwater to meet their needs, not only in rural areas, but also the cities of Fresno and Bakersfield. Along the central coast, 90% of the drinking water is from groundwater.
California uses more groundwater than any other state. Even in average rainfall years, more groundwater is used then is replaced by precipitation, stream seepage, or artificial recharge systems. Annual statewide overdraft is estimated by the DWR to be approximately 1.4 million acre-feet in a normal year. Overdrafting can result in lowered water tables and increased energy costs for pumping.
Overdraft can also lead to land subsidence, as well as cause sea water and other contaminants to invade the aquifer. Subsidence occurs when overpumping leads to the collapse of the earth’s surface overlying the aquifer; it is often irreversible. Subsidence can also cause salt water intrusion into coastal aquifers.
California is only one of two states left that has yet to enact a comprehensive statewide groundwater management system. Currently there are no controls over the amount drawn from underground aquifers. There is some regulation in local districts or basins which have been adjudicated by the courts, but other than that, there are no controls over extraction. To some, such a program equals a state-dictated system for a resource that historically has been considered a right of the overlying land owners. Agricultural interests oppose any regulation as they fear it would constrain pumping in drought years.
The quality of groundwater is of concern as well. All of the state’s groundwater basins are contaminated to some degree. Groundwater contamination can come from landfills, leaked toxins, solvents, microbial agents, acid mine drainage and agricultural chemicals. The contaminants are usually concentrated in small sections of the basin, and can force some communities to abandon their wells and rely on imported surface water supplies.
Perchlorate is used in rocket propellants, road flares, fireworks, and air bag inflation systems. It is a chemical contaminant which is very mobile once it gets into water. Perchlorate has been showing up in an increasing number of state groundwater sources, including locally at the Whitaker-Bermite site. Perchlorate contamination has caused the closure of at least five local wells. After decades of munitions manufacturing, the Whitaker-Bermite site is currently undergoing clean-up operations.
Experts have been unable to agree on a drinking water standard for perchlorate. Federal and state agencies have set different minimums, while environmentalists have pushed for more stringent standards.
For more information on groundwater pumping & overdraft, click here.
IT’S A QUESTION OF BALANCE AND SUSTAINABILITY
Southern California is hugely dependent upon large water projects which import water from far away, and each of these water sources is facing crises and impacts as a result of the diversions. The DWP has had to reduce its usage of water in order to restore Mono Lake, restore wetlands and some flow of water to the Owens River, and to deal with dust problems on Owens Lake. Southern California has long been overusing its allocation of water from the Colorado River, and this supply is being impacted by drought and population growth in other areas who also depend on the Colorado River for their water supply. The State Water Project depends on water from the fragile Delta area, which is threatened by a breakdown in the ecosystem, rising sea levels, vulnerable levees, and increasing urbanization.
Water is a limited resource; there is only so much of it to go around. Managing California’s finite water supply in the future so that it is sustainable and reliable will require striking a balance between the three stakeholders: urban users, agricultural users, and the environment. As the state continues to grow, it’s going to require rethinking in how we view and use water throughout the state, and we’re all going to have to be more efficient in how we use it.
Part 2 will look at specific issues affecting our water supply, including growth, drought, and the impact of climate change. We’ll also take a closer look at the Kern County water deal and desalination.
This is the first part in a series of stories written exclusively for SCVTalk regarding our water supply in the SCV and California water issues overall. The next part will focus on issues regarding water supply. Future installments will cover the history of water development and the importance of conservation.
SCVTalk.com would like to thank Flickr photographers who allowed their images to be used in this article. For information on each photographer, click the photograph.
California's Thirst for Water : Part 1
California's Thirst for Water : Part 1
Attributed to Jeff Wilson (editor-supplied)
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