PUB00022

• Year: 2000
• Title: Layperson's Guide to California Water
• CWCB Section: Interstate & Federal
• Author: California Water Education Foundation
• Description: Layperson's Guide to California Water
• Publications - Doc Type: Other

Summary

The passage of Proposition 13 is a monumental step
in increasing stability of California's water supply and
is designed to create nearly 1 million-acre teet of
new dry-year water supply, as well as, improve water
quality and water infrastructure around the state.

California's water problems have made alternative
methods of augmenting supply, including more
efficient use of available water, key to the future
management of the resource. There also have been
moves to link growth to water supply availability.
However, linking land use and water supply planning
has sparked a major political battle. Bills intertwining
growth and water availability have been introduced
by the state legislators since 1991 but it was not until
1995 that a bill on the subject was enacted. Under a
Senate bill signed into law in 1995, cities and
counties are required at the time of adopting a
general or specific plan to have the local water
agency assess whether there will be sufficient supply
to support a proposed development project for the
next 20 years. The water agency must determine
availability in both wet and dry years. If water supply

is deemed insufficient it would constitute a "signifi-
cant environmental impact" under CEQA. The
agency's tinding must be included in the city or
county's environmental impact report although
municipalities can proceed with development even
if the water supply is found inadequate. Buzzwords
like "smartgrowth" are becoming the jargon of
regulators, legislators and litigators alike. In 2000. a
court ruled that an Environmental Impact Statement
by developers wanting to build a 22.000 unit devel-
opment in Los Angeles County was inadequate
because it could not determine where the water
supply for the new development would come from.

Because water is the life blood of California's future.
increased demand will likely have to be met through
a combination of methods and could entail a closer
linking of water supply and growth issues. Also.
although the population continues to grow the risks
of floodplain development should not be overlooked.
Optimally. measures to increase floodplain protection
will be compatible with strategies to satisfy increas-
ing water supply demand.

m!!II

acre-foot - 325,851 gallons, or enough water to
cover an acre of land 1 foot deep. An average
California household uses between one-half
and one acre-foot of water per year.
anadromous fish - fish species, such as salmon,
that migrate from fresh water streams to
the ocean and back to complete their life
cycle.
appropriative rights - a water right based on
physical control over water, or based on a
permit or license for its beneficial use.
conjunctive use - the planned use and storage
of surface and groundwater supplies to improve
water supply reliability.
developed water - water that is controlled and
managed (damned, pumped, diverted, stored
in reservoirs or channeled in aqueducts) for a
variety of uses.
firm yield - the dependable annual water supply
that could be available in all years, without
exceeding specified shortages in agricultural
deliveries during droughts.
groundwater - water that has seeped beneath
the earth's surface and is stored in the pores
and spaces between alluvial materials (sand,
gravel or clay).
hydrologic cycle - movement of water as it
evaporates from rivers, lakes or oceans, returns

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to earth as precipitation, flows into rivers to
the ocean and evaporates again.
instream uses - the beneficial uses of water
within a river or stream, such as providing
habitat for aquatic life, sport fishing, river ratt-
ing or scenic beauty.
public trust doctrine - doctrine rooted in
Roman law which holds that certain natural
resources are the property of all, to be held in
trust by the state.
Racanelli Decision - a 1986 ruling by the state
Court at Appeals that the State Water
Resources Control Board must consider all
beneficial uses of Delta waters, including
in stream uses, when establishing water quality
standards.
riparian rights - a water right based on the own-
ership of land bordering a river or waterway.
surface water - water that remains on the earth's
surface, in rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs
or oceans.
water recycfing - the treatment and reuse of
wastewater to produce water of suitable quality
for additional use.
Water Rights Decision 1485 - State Water
Resources Control Board ruling issued in 1978
which established salinity standards for Bay-
Delta waters.