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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work under way in reducing losses from these reservoirs is the

program which is aimed at conjunctive operation between the

various operators for the most effective use of the stored water.

These coordinated operation studies have been conducted as a
cooperative program between the federal, state, and local agencies
since 1961.

On a statewide basis, convey~nce losses have been

reduced close to the economic minimum where it is important to
do so. All major aqueduct systems serving major cities are
pipelines or concrete-lined canals, and losses are extremely

small. In many areas water is lost by seepage from unlined local

irrigation canals in the State, but most of this water is recovered

from the underlying ground water basins. Most major irrigation
aqueducts, such as the California Aqueduct and the aqueducts of

the Central Valley Project, are lined.

Because the Colorado River Basin is facing permanent

water deficiencies in the near future, I will discuss conveyance

losses in this area in more detail. The Colorado Desert area of

California includes four irri~ation districts, all of which depend

on the Colorado River for their water supply. The Palo Verde

Irrigation District is supplied by the main stem of the Colorado

River. The Imperial Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley

County Water District, and the Yuma area are all served from the

All-American Canal. Since there is practically a year-round

growing season, two and even three types of crops per year are

produced on some of these lands. Ground water is limited in this

area both in quantity and quality, although the upper end of the

Coachella Valley has a small but valuable ground water basin.

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