New Report Summarizes California Water Use Trends

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A new report prepared by staff at UC Davis and the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) provides an overview of how and where water is being used in California.  They found that 50 percent of statewide water use is for environmental purposes, 40 percent for agriculture, and 10 percent for urban consumption, but those percentages can vary significantly between regions, seasons, and years.  Much of the water returns from the primary use to the rivers or recharges groundwater basins, so water reuse is an important factor.

The study substantiated that agricultural water use has remained steady even while the value of farm production has increased significantly in recent years.  A growing percentage of acreage is devoted to high-value permanent crops such as nuts and grapes and yields for many annual crops have increased.  The total value of crop output has increased by over 35 percent since 1998 to over $22 billion.

Urban water use per capita has not increased in the last 20 years despite increased population and in many areas has declined due to the installation of water efficient faucets, toilers, and other fixtures.  The statewide average water use is 178 gallons per capita, per day, but due to the more temperate climate the average household use in the coastal areas is 145 gallons per capita.  The authors of the studies indicate that there is great potential for reduced household water use by reduced landscape irrigation, behavioral changes, and new technology.

This report and other studies regarding water issues in California can be found on the PPIC website: www.ppic.org.

Article written by Rob Neenan, President/CEO, California League of Food Processors

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