WSP01953

• File Number: 8021
• Description: Section D General Correspondence-Western States Water Council
• Date: 2/19/1966
• Title: Western States Water Council Meeting Attachment No 5-Water Conservation Concepts and Practices in California
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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all; it is merely stored for future recovery either as downslope
streamflow or as pumped supply from the basin. In other words,
the loss to one potential consumer is often the source of supply
to another. The size of the area under consideration greatly
influences the computed efficiencies for this reason. Because

of reuse of water, relatively low field efficiencies may be

meaningless, if a system analysis is desired; and I believe we
should be concerned with the latter consideration here. Irriga-

tion efficiency needs to be more carefully defined also to con-

sider the legitimate water requirel,lent for leaching purposes and
maintenance of salt balance. Uses often designated as beneficial

"nonconsumptive uses" of water--such as for hydropower generation,

recreation, fish and wildlife--must also be considered in

evaluating water losses.

Historically, California has tightened up on water

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losses as it became economically advantageous to the users to do
so. This is understandable when you consider that the value of
an acre-foot of water range::_.~.rgm ~l in,.s.ome irrigation ~i~~ricts
to $.~26 for drinking water at Coalinga. ,ie are more conscious of
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the intangible values than in the past, and are giving them full

consideration in our current planning.

California has three types of water storage reservoirs:

snowpack, ground water basins, and surface reservoirs. Our snow

fields, covering some 12,000 square miles of lands higher in

elevation than 5,500 feet, store a major portion of the midwinter
precipitation for release in the months April throu~h July. The

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