Growing pressure on our water delivery system

Growing pressure on our water delivery system

California’s water delivery system faces growing pressure to meet competing demands.

Constructed primarily in the mid-20th century, the system is struggling to keep up with the state’s population growth as well as new environmental requirements to protect species and habitats.

A clear symptom of the struggle is the ongoing conflict between water project operations and species protection in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The Delta is a key estuary and home to more than 750 plants and wildlife species, but it is in an ecological crisis that threatens both ecosystem health and the reliability of the state’s water delivery system.

The conflict is reducing water deliveries to more than 25 million Californians and millions of acres of farmland. The cutbacks in water deliveries are forcing growers to idle some farmland and reduce acreage for key California crops such as avocados, tomatoes, melons and lettuce.

In urban areas, cutbacks due to drought and the environmental conflict are causing local water agencies to draw down their reserves and impose tighter restrictions on water use, including rationing and mandatory conservation measures in some parts of the state.

In addition, climate change is posing new uncertainties for the future of California’s water system. Changes in rain and snowfall patterns already are affecting the state’s water supply, and sea level rise adds to the risk of a major levee failure in the Delta that would cut off fresh water supplies for much of the state.

Learn more about how climate change is affecting our water supply.