Fun Facts About Water
Did You Know?
- You can live without food for more than two months, but you can't survive much more than a few days without water.
- Your body is 65% water - that's more than half!
- An elephant is 70% water.
- About 71% of the earth's surface is covered by water. That's almost three-quarters! If you saw Earth from outer space, it would look blue because of all the water.
- If you covered a football field with one foot of water, it would be about 325,851 gallons. This volume of water is also referred to as one acre-foot.
Where Does Our Water Come From?
People use water every day for dozens of different things. Whether it's brushing your teeth, washing the dishes or quenching your thirst, water is the one thing you can't do without in daily life. But as essential as water is, few people know where their water comes from or how it gets to their tap.
In California, water comes from two sources: underground water basins called aquifers, and surface water sources such as the Sacramento River, the American River and the Colorado River.
Rain and snowfall are the real source of supply for both underground water (also known as groundwater) and surface water such as rivers and streams. Groundwater is basically rain that has trickled through rock layers, forming pools after many years. Rivers are fed by rain and snowmelt that runs off from mountains into networks of streams and creeks called watersheds. Reservoirs such as Folsom Lake capture and store water for use later.
In many areas, groundwater basins have been depleted because water is drawn out at a faster rate than rain trickles back down. Droughts are particularly hard on groundwater supplies. Surface water such as rivers and streams also depend on rain and snowfall in the Sierras from year to year. A series of dry years can seriously reduce the water flowing in rivers and stored in lakes and reservoirs.
How Does Water Get to Our Homes?
Water arrives at your tap after a long and expensive journey from its source. Whether it comes from a river or from a groundwater well, water must be treated and purified before it is delivered to homes and businesses. After it is treated, water travels through a distribution system to individual homes and other buildings.
In California, there are many local water suppliers. Here is a list of some of them
After water is used in your home, it goes through another system of pipes to a wastewater treatment plant. The water is treated to meet statewide standards and then released, or discharged, into rivers and streams at approved locations. Some wastewater is recycled, or re-treated, and used again to irrigate golf courses, freeway medians and parks. Recycled water is also used to flush toilets in some areas.