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<br />001287 <br /> <br />purpose. Studies by the U. S. Department of Agriculture seem <br />to generally confirln these concepts, and it appears that somewhat <br />less water than could be applied to optimize crop production is <br />being applied. It appears that the farmers in these areas are <br />wasting little water by their irrigation operations. <br />Several important research programs are being conducted <br />in California by federal and state agencies to evaluate more <br />accurately the consumptive use requirements of vegetation. <br />Although.the State is doing some stripping of vegetation <br />from river banks to a limited extent, the primary work of this <br />type for water salvage is the channelization program for the <br />flood plain of the lower Colorado River b the United States <br />Bureau of Reclamation. Substantial quantities of water can be <br />recovered in some areas by phreatophyte control and by river <br />rectification; but these programs may not be justified in all <br />cases. Balanced development requires that fish and wildlife and <br />recreational values be considered and could outweigh the value <br />of the salvaged water in a particular location and for a <br />particular use. <br />In 1960 California used about 3.3 million acre-feet <br />of fresh water annually for municipal and industrial purposes, <br />averaging approximately 185 gallons per capita day. About <br />920,000 acre-feet was used for industrial purposes alone, which <br />indicates that the average use of water for municipal purposes <br />only was about 140 gallons per capita day. Approximately 90 per- <br />cent of all municipal water service connections are metered. In <br /> <br />-11- <br />