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agriculture and urban water conservation

Water Supply
Agricultural water users are not guaranteed a water supply.

Urban water users are guaranteed a minimum water supply.

Water Supply Priorities
Water rights and priorities may differ among individual agricultural water users within the same district.

Water rights and priorities are the same among individual urban water users within the same district.

Water Needs
Each agricultural water user has a different water need given a variety of factors. Below is a partial list of examples:

Water source
Geography
Soil quality
Crop type

Urban water users (households) have similar water needs.

Water Conservation Appliances
There are no water savings devices that are guaranteed to save water for every agricultural water user.  Micro-irrigation systems are known to improve distribution uniformity, but in many cases can require more applied water.  Micro-irrigation also can lead to adverse impacts of soil quality.

There are water savings appliances that are guaranteed to save water for every urban water user.  The Environmental Protection Agency has developed the “Water Sense” label for household appliances that use less water to do the same thing: washing machines, toilets, faucets etc. 

Recycled Water
Agricultural tailwater and run-off is frequently recaptured and reused.  The Sacramento Valley is estimated to reuse tailwater up to 9 times before it returns to the river.

Urban water runoff and urban wastewater is not commonly recaptured and reused.

 


Secondary Environment Benefits of Water Use
There are environmental benefits to agricultural water use.  Below is a partial list of examples of environmental benefits of agriculture.

 

  • Environmental habitat 
  • Rice fields in the Sacramento Valley provide habitat to wintering waterfowl. Over half of the wetlands in the Sacramento Valley are on private lands.
  • Conservation easements
  • Many of the farms and natural vegetation along the canal banks provide habitat for endangered species.  The giant garder snake, found in the Sacramento Valley , is dependent upon these conservation easements.
  • Natural water ways.  Some water districts and farms use natural water ways to deliver water.
  • Percolation to the groundwater aquifer.  Applied water to agricultural fields can percolate and replenish the groundwater aquifer.

There are limited environmental benefits to urban water use.

 

 
 
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