WATER DISTRIBUTION

With construction of the CVP and SWP, the Delta became a critical link in the state's complex water distribution system. Delta channels transport water from upstream reservoirs to the south Delta, where state and federal facilities (the Harvey O. Banks Delta Pumping Plant and the Tracy Pumping Plant) pump water into the California Aqueduct and CVP canals.

These projects provide water to more than 4 million acres of irrigated farmland, primarily in the San Joaquin Valley, and to 20 million people in central and southern California and portions of the Bay Area. All in all, the Delta is a partial or total source of drinking water for two-thirds of the state, and reliance on Delta water is expected to increase.

In the past decade, California experienced 25 percent growth rate, double the national average. Officials estimate the state's current population of 35 million will reach nearly 52 million by 2030. The question remains: where will the water for all of these people come from? In its draft 2004 update of the California Water Plan, DWR estimates the state could face an annual water shortfall of 2.9 million-acre feet in average years and 7 million-acre feet in drought years. Along with providing more water for urban uses, there is the need to maintain water supply reliability for agriculture.

A continuing challenge is supplying more water for fish and wildlife. Strong advocacy by environmental groups and the presence of strict state and federal laws protecting endangered species and plant and wildlife habitat have effectively blocked most conventional water development. But as the need to further develop the state's water supply grows, conflict has increased between urban and agricultural uses who want to increase supplies from the Delta and those concerned about the health of the ecosystem and declining water quality.