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<br />0012'78 <br /> <br />water planning background information. California is 1,000 miles <br />long by 150 to 375 miles wide, covering an area of approximately <br />160,000 square miles. Almost every possible combination and con- <br />trasting extreme of topography, climate, and soils exist. About <br />20 percent, or 20 million acres, of this area is considered to be <br />irrigable. We are irrigating about 8 million acres now, and this <br />acreage is being extended at a rate of approximately 50,000 acres <br />per year. We expect the present population of 18 million to triple <br />in the next 50 years. <br />The net annual water requirement (applied water require- <br />ment less allowance for reuse) for 1960 is estimated to be <br />23 million acre-feet, allowing for 9 million acre-feet of reused <br />water. By the year 2020, we anticipate that the net annual require- <br />ment will be 38 million acre-feet, assuming a reuse of 12 million <br />acre-feet. These amounts are based on our estimated values for <br />consumptive use. Because of salinity problems in some areas, the <br />total requirement will probably be somewhat greater than these <br />figures. <br /> <br />The 50-year mean annual natural water supply is about <br />71 million acre-feet. However, the average annual supply during <br />the most critical 7-year period was only 42 million acre-feet. <br />An ap~reciable portion of this runoff occurs on precipitous <br />streams on the North Coast, and much is undevelopable for economic <br />or other reasons. <br />Even though California seems to have an adequate water <br />supply to meet its foreseeable requirements, the State suffers <br />from a serious maldistribution of supply, both in point of location <br /> <br />-2- <br />