Introduction to Water in California.

Cover -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction-Water Web: Connected Californians -- CHAPTER 1. TAPPING INTO A PLANETARY CYCLE -- A Great Water Wheel -- The Vital Molecule -- "Normal" Weather: Anything but "Average" -- Droughts -- Floods -- CHAPTER 2. CALIFORNIA WATER LANDSCAPE -- Pristine Waterscape -- Groundwater -- Hydrologic Regions -- North Coast Region -- Sacramento River Region -- North Lahontan Region -- San Francisco Bay Region -- San Joaquin River Region -- Central Coast Region -- Tulare Lake Region -- South Lahontan Region -- South Coast Region -- Colorado River Region -- CHAPTER 3. THE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM -- Expanding Watersheds -- The State Water Project -- The Central Valley Project -- Colorado River Delivery Systems -- The Los Angeles Aqueduct -- The Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct -- The Mokelumne Aqueduct -- The North Bay -- CHAPTER 4. CHALLENGES TO CALIFORNIA WATER MANAGEMENT -- Climate Change and the Water Cycle -- Extinction Is Forever -- A Thirsty Garden -- Asking Too Much of the Colorado River and the Salton Sea -- Out of Sight, Out of Control -- Bad News Beneath Your Feet -- Fracking -- Can You Drink the Water? -- The Bottled-Water Phenomenon -- Mass Medication -- Giardia -- Where Does Your Dog Go? -- The Problem Is Us -- CHAPTER 5. MEETING THE CHALLENGES: CALIFORNIA'S WATER FUTURE -- California Water Law and the Public Trust -- The Delta, a Tunnel Vision, and a Water Bond -- The Propostion 1 Water Bond (2014) -- Recycle and Reuse: Localizing Water -- Stormwater Capture and Graywater Reuse -- Squeezing the Sponge: Conservation -- A More Logical Landscape -- Conservation on the Farm -- Sustainable Groundwater -- Water in the Bank: Groundwater Storage -- The Debate over Dams -- Build More Behemoths? -- Off-Stream Dams? -- Raise Existing Dams? -- Raze Existing Dams? -- Transfers: Water as a Commodity -- Clean Water.

Ecosystem Restoration -- Lemonade from Lemons: Is Desalination Viable? -- Will There Be Enough Water? -- Integrated Water Management -- What Future Do You Choose? -- Acronyms and Abbreviations -- Historical Timeline -- Agencies and Organizations -- References -- Photo Credits -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Y -- Author Biography.

This thoroughly engaging, concise book tells the story of California's most precious resource, tracing the journey of water in the state from the atmosphere to the snowpack to our faucets and foods. Along the way, we learn much about California itself as the book describes its rivers, lakes, wetlands, dams, and aqueducts and discusses the role of water in agriculture, the environment, and politics. Essential reading in a state facing the future with an overextended water supply, this fascinating book shows that, for all Californians, every drop counts. New to this updated edition: * Additional maps, figures, and photos * Expanded coverage of potential impacts to precipitation, snowpack, and water supply from climate change * Updated information about the struggle for water management and potential solutions * New content about sustainable groundwater use and regulation, desalination, water recycling, stormwater capture, and current proposals for water storage and diversion *Additional table summarizing water sources for 360 California cities and towns.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.