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California -- its 36 million residents, critical ecosystems and 1.4 trillion-dollar economy, including a $27 billion farming industry -- depends on a reliable and high-quality water supply.

2001 Water Use
Urban 13%
Agricultural 53%
Environmental 34%
Glass of Water An acre-foot of water is approximately 326,000 gallons or enough water to cover a football field a foot deep in water. An acre-foot provides for the needs of two typical Southern California families in and around their homes for one year.
More than 70% of California's average annual precipitation - nearly 200 million acre-feet - falls north of San Francisco. Nearly 80% of the demand, however, comes from Central and Southern California.
  • Southern and Central California imports the majority of its water from a combination of federal, state and local water projects.
  • The State Water Project, operated by the Department of Water Resources can deliver 4 million acre-feet of water annually.  On average, deliveries have been approximately 40% of capacity..
  • The federal Central Valley Project, operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, delivers about 7 million acre-feet annually, primarily for agricultural uses in the Central Valley.
  • The Colorado River Aqueduct owned and operated by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California can deliver up to 1.3 million acre-feet of Colorado River water each year to over 17 million Southern Californians.  Recent cutbacks in California's Colorado River supplies have resulted in delivery of about 52% of capacity.
 California Water Delivery
Present & Projected Water Shortfalls in California By 2030, California's population is projected to reach nearly 53 million, placing great demands on current infrastructure.
Historically, California has used approximately 5.2 million acre-feet of Colorado River water, or about 800,000 acre-feet more than it's 4.4 million acre foot "share" of Colorado River water.  Much of the "excess" California has been accustomed to using was water allocated to other states that was unused.  However, Arizona and Nevada are now using their full allocations and California must reduce its draw of Colorado River water to 4.4 million acre-feet per year.  Water conservation and development strategies, such as agriculture-to-urban transfers, the storage of water in groundwater basins and water recycling, are required to help meet that 800,000 acre-feet shortfall.

In October 2003 the four California water agencies that divert water from the Colorado River entered into the historic Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA).  The QSA provides for:  (1) unprecedented transfer of water from agricultural users (Imperial Irrigation District) to urban users (San Diego County Water Authority), (2) restoration of the Salton Sea and (3) allows California to take advantage of a 15 year "soft landing" period where water in excess of 4.4 million acre-feet a year may be made available to California. 

World Map - Water Supply
Source: Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Department of Water Resources, Water Education Foundation

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