Essay on "California Water Resources"

Essay 4 pages (1169 words) Sources: 5

[EXCERPT] . . . .

The final region along the coast is the South Coast Region, which is California's heavily populated region and contains roughly half the state's population however only receives about two percent of the state's entire precipitation. There have been many water construction holding projects completed to help supply the urban demand in this region.

The three final regions are the North and South Lohontan and the Colorado River Region. Lake Tahoe resides in the North Labontan Region and most of the water in this region is used for cattle. The South Lohontan contains Death Valley as well as the highest and lowest points in the state. Although the Colorado River Region is named after the Colorado River, it doesn't actually receive much runoff from it. There is however an artificially create (on accident) lake called the Salton Sea which has become an important habitat for birds as most of their natural habitats have been used for human developments. In fact, the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and the adjacent Imperial Valley contains over 380 individual species of birds and holds the distinction of having the most diverse array of bird species found on any national wildlife refuge in the west (USGS).

California State's Water Projects

The California State Water Project is an enormous system of water distribution networks that can move approximately 2.3 maf of water per year over a stretch of over 600 miles. This distribution system begins in the Northern part of the state and delivers water to the southern areas that are more heavily populated. There is also the Central Valley Project which is federally funded and is one of the largest water systems in the world. However, this system provides water to some of the best farm lands in CA and has proven to be an excellent return on investment for the state as well as for the federal funding it received.

Despite the major achievements in controlling the water systems in the state and using them for environmental, agricultural, and urban uses, each of these uses has contributed in their own ways to water problems and water degradation. The human use of natural water systems has led to serious changes in the landscape. One example is that roughly ninety five percent of California's natural wetlands are now gone forever. The salmon population that used to contribute to the health and vitality of the local populations is now decimated and has lost their natural habitats to dams and other man made features.

Conclusion

The current hydrological cycle in the state of California is one of the most interesting in the world and contains many unique features. Humans have greatly altered the natural water system in a variety of ways which have mostly resulted in negative ecological contributions. However, there have also been advantageous developments such as the accidental construction of the Salton Sea which is the most diverse bird habitat in the West. Yet, California will face many problems in their ability to control and maintain the water systems. As climate change begins to change the patterns of precipitation, much of the distribution system will fail to adapt to the changing climate without significant alteration. This coupled with the fact that water quality has been degraded will provide many challenges for all future generations of Californians.

Works Cited

Hyslop, R. And L., Garver, S. Wu. "California's Water Resources." CALIFORNIA ELECTIC- A TROPICAL GEOGRAPHY. Pomona: California State Polytechnic University-Pomona, n.d. Print.

USGS. "Bird Checklists… READ MORE

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