Water Supply - Public Policy Institute of California

Water Supply

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Population growth, a changing climate, and increasing costs are straining California’s extensive water supply system, requiring new strategies to manage demand and diversify water sources.

Selected publications

Droughts in California April 2021
California is highly prone to droughts, and climate change makes them worse. This fact sheet describes key challenges to managing dry times.

Filling Glass with Water from Kitchen Faucet in East Porterville, California - pixel-ca-dwr-FL_Porterville-9320

Access to Safe Drinking Water April 2021
Not every Californian has access to safe and reliable drinking water. Small communities relying on groundwater are most likely to have chronic water quality problems.

photo - Eagle Falls and view of Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe, California

Priorities for California’s Water November 2020
This brief reviews how major disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic, economic downturn, ongoing drought, and wildfires affected the state’s water landscape, and lays out priorities for local, state, and federal action.

MORE PUBLICATIONS

Water Supply January 2017

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BY THE NUMBERS

Urban areas use about 10% of California’s water supply

Landscape irrigation makes up roughly half of total urban water use.