1. 13A.2 – California’s Water Resources

2. Do Now
What are the main sources of California’s fresh water?

3. Do Now What are the main sources of California’s fresh water?
Precipitation
Surface Water
Groundwater

4. Key Words
Transpiration

5. Vocab Words
Aqueduct
Desalination

6. California’s Water Supply
The main sources of California’s water supply are precipitation, surface water, and groundwater.
Entire world is only covered in 1% of freshwater.
Much of the state’s water begins as snowfall up in the northern part of the state.
More than half of all precipitation in the state is lost to evaporation or transpiration.
Only about 35% of all precipitation in California stays at the surface or seeps into the ground to produce our groundwater supply.

8. Precipitation
California receives an average of about 58 cm of precipitation per year.
This is not evenly distributed though
Northern California and the state’s mountains receive most of the precipitation.

9. Surface Water
Some of California’s precipitation flows back into the lakes, rivers, and streams that make up what is called the state’s drainage basins or watersheds.
One of California’s major sources of water is the Colorado River, which starts in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and travel all the way to Arizona crossing through California.

10. Groundwater
When precipitation seeps into the ground it then is stored naturally and becomes groundwater.
Groundwater accounts for 30% of the freshwater used in California.
Groundwater is not transported like other water is in the state, instead it is used for the area where it is located.

11. Desalination of Sea Water
Most of California’s fresh water comes from surface water or groundwater, but desalinated ocean water is growing in some importance of fresh water for coastal communities.
Desalination is the removal of salt from ocean water to obtain fresh water.
This water can be used for non-drinking purposes; such as watering the lawn, running laundry, etc.

12. Desalination Process

13. California’s Water Projects
To meet freshwater needs throughout the state, California has an intricate network of water storage and distribution systems, or local water projects.
This is needed since California’s precipitation is unevenly distributed throughout the state.

14. Local Water Projects Aqueducts
A pipe or channel through which water flows from a higher elevation to a lower elevation.
The Los Angeles Aqueduct carries water 359 km from the Owens River (east of the Sierra Nevada) to Los Angeles.
These provide fresh water for cities, counties and agricultural areas in southern California.
They can also share water with other states.

17. State Water Project
California’s State Water Project (SWP) is one of the nation’s largest water distribution systems.
It transports rain and melted snow from the Feather River in Northern California to points farther south.
It also supplies most of the water used in the valley for agriculture.

18. Federal Water Projects
All-American Canal
The Coachella Canal
The Central Valley Project
Most of this water is used for irrigation and wildlife refuges.

19. Water Needs Most of California’s water supply is used to grow crops.
The rest is used in homes, businesses, and industries or has been set aside for recreation wildlife use.

20. Agriculture
80% of the fresh water used in California each year goes toward irrigating crops.
2/3 of the water used in agriculture is surface water. The remaining 1/3 is from groundwater.

21. Houses and Businesses
Drinking, cleaning, cooking, washing, bathing, flushing, and watering the lawn and household plants.
About 380 liters per person per day.
In the future, more of California’s drinking water may come from desalination plants.

22. Industry Beverages or paper uses water to create these things.
Power plants also require water to produce steam that is used to generate electricity.

23. Recreation and Wildlife
California preserves some streams and rivers as fisheries where fish as trout and salmon are grown.
Other bodies of fresh water set aside for wildlife are wetlands, which provide habitats for wildlife such as birds, amphibians and fishes.

24. Group Activity
On page CA 18, complete the Quick Lab at the top of the page. Make sure to record questions 1-4 in your notebook.