In a dry time, plans for water projects flow

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Trouble on tap

Some of the water challenges facing the state:

* Federal and state water projects have not added a new reservoir in 20 years.

* The state is projected to grow from 36 million to 60 million people by 2050.

* Water districts throughout the state are asking people to cut

usage by 10%.

* Another dry winter would be "catastrophic" for California.

* The delta at the hub of the water system is vulnerable to earthquakes and rising sea levels.

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Coming water crisis?

The rain season that ended in 2006 was unusually wet, leaving most of California's major reservoirs well-filled. But the rain season that just ended June 30 was extremely dry in most of the state, raising concerns about future water supplies.

Water levels in major California reservoirs

Most of the water supply for Southern California comes from elsewhere in California and the West via the California Aqueduct, the Los Angeles Aqueduct and the Colorado River Aqueduct.

[Please see microfilm for full map information.]

The chart below compares the precipitation of the 2007 rain season to annual averages during the statewide droughts of 1976-77 and 1987-92 and the Southern California drought of 1998-2002 (in inches).

*--* City 2007 Normal 1976-77 1987-92 1998-02 Eureka 36.5 39.6 25.6 28.2 37.5 Redding 22.7 37.0 21.9 27.6 31.0 San Francisco 11.7 20.3 9.4 13.7 18.3 Sacramento 12.2 18.2 7.4 15.7 18.4 Fresno 6.1 11.0 7.9 9.4 9.4 Santa Barbara 7.2 16.3 11.9 12.4 17.5 Bakersfield 3.1 6.2 4.3 5.2 5.4 Long Beach 2.1 12.1 6.9 8.7 7.0 Los Angeles 3.2 14.9 9.8 11.3 10.8 San Diego 3.8 10.2 8.6 10.2 6.0 Riverside 1.7 10.1 8.3 8.4 5.4 Redlands 3.9 13.4 11.1 11.5 7.4 Death Valley 1.8 2.3 3.1 2.2 1.4

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Colorado River

Sources: California Dept. of Water Resources, National Drought Mitigation Center

Leslie Carlson Los Angeles Times