(Natural and Distributed) CA WATER (Natural and Distributed)

Let’s take a look at California’s natural water features . . . To the left, is the Pacific Ocean Lake Tahoe is the largest nearby natural Lake Folsom Reservoir is the largest nearby man-made lake The Salton Sea is the largest salt-water lake There are 200 lakes and reservoirs in CA!

The natural lakes and rivers in CA are primarily “fed” by seasonal rain snowpack, and ocean water. Snowpack is a major provider of water for many uses. It serves as storage, it’s reliable (seasonally), and it melts slowly allowing steady release.

Our Delta system is very unique in the Central Valley. . . It is formed from several “feeder” rivers and streams from the mountains It is mixed with ocean water = ESTUARY Parts of it have been diverted and channeled for agricultural use = LEVEES

The Central Valley is a natural AQUIFER (layer of permeable rock that can hold water in the empty spaces between grains) Therefore, it serves as a very good water table for well systems for homes, agriculture, etc.

An aquifer needs to be “trapped” by impermeable layers of material called AQUICLUDES. The Central Valley is in a wide bowl of Granite, and topped by a layer of clay to seal in the moisture within the aquifer. Gravity naturally refills the water in the aquifer The permeable part is a mixture of eroded sediment and marine sediment, which is very porous.

This aquifer is also drained and recharged by humans as well as nature . . . 40% of residents in the Central Valley have a well system for their water supply, which taps into the aquifer. Many of these residents also have a holding pond on their property, which stores water and replenishes the aquifer in times of excess rain.

The Central Valley also has artesian wells, (in which water will squirt up by itself with no pump) due to built- up pressure being released. This pressure mainly comes from the steep-sided Granite walls of the Valley being a platform for runoff/recharge.

The “SO-CAL”-ers aren’t so lucky! Even though 75% of California’s natural water supply is North of Sacramento, 75% of California’s population lives below Sacramento. Water demand in Southern California is high, so a transport system has been developed: NATURAL WATER RESERVOIR DELTA WATER TREATMENT AQUEDUCT CANAL

TAHOE RUNOFF AMERICAN RIVER and SACRAMENTO RIVER FOLSOM LAKE DAM AND RESERVOIR CA AQUEDUCT DELTA

Worrying about shortages: where does our water go?

Pacific Ocean Water Why is there more salt at the ocean’s surface? Why So cold? Pacific Ocean Water

Since most of the world is covered in ocean, it would make sense to try desalinization to make more fresh water . . . This can be done by reverse osmosis (pushing sea water through a filter) = TOO EXPENSIVE Distillation (evaporating and condensing sea water) = EQUIPMENT IS TOO BIG Electrically (collecting the salt by attracting the charges of the atoms) = WASTE DISPOSAL A PROBLEM

Lastly, water does supply CA with energy = hydroelectric power This is done inside of a dam along a reservoir, like our own Folsom Dam.

TERMS TO KNOW: Aquifer Aquiclude Reservoir Hydroelectric Recharge Well & Artesian Well Desalinization Distillation Salinity California Aqueduct Reservoir / dam Permeability Saturated Snowpack