California and Water · Episode 1 of 8 · 39 min
California's Water Paradox: Why the Rain Falls in the Wrong Place
California waters forty million people and the nation's biggest farm economy on a brutal mismatch: about three-quarters of its water falls in the north, and about four-fifths of the demand sits in the south and the farm belt. The opener lays out the Sierra snowpack as the state's largest reservoir, the four supplies every Californian draws on, and the water-budget numbers people argue past each other.
Where it happens
- Sierra Nevada, California+6 more episodesSnowpack acts as the state's largest reservoir, about 30 percent of supply
- Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California+3 more episodesPumping hub for water bound south
- Tulare Lake, San Joaquin Valley, CaliforniaOnce the largest freshwater lake in the American West
- Colorado River+1 more episodeInterstate lifeline for Southern California
Timeline
- Late 1800sFarmers divert the Tulare Basin's rivers and Tulare Lake effectively vanishes.
- 1960California launches the State Water Project.
- 2020-2022Three-year dry spell leaves the snowpack near record lows.
- Winter-spring 2023Atmospheric rivers bury the Sierra and Tulare Lake reappears.
- April 1, 2026Survey finds statewide snowpack about 18 percent of average.
Still debated
How to count water 'use' is contested between agricultural, urban and environmental interests, including whether required Delta outflow counts as environmental use. Scientists agree warming shrinks the snowpack, but the pace and how far storage can compensate are open.
