California's Visions of Groundwater: A Water Source and a Salt Sink

by J. D. Oster,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: North American Water and Environment Congress & Destructive Water

Abstract:

Public interest in groundwater resources can be expected to increase. There are few alternative, undeveloped, surface water resources to meet increasing water demand for municipalities. Meanwhile, water locations to protect existing surface water to improve or maintain fisheries And wildlife habitats are increasing. California farmers rely on groundwater to make up for short falls In surface water due to reallocation of surface water to in-stream uses (an administrative drought), or due to drought. The impacts of these trends on the quality of groundwater have had little impact on planning. Few long-term strategies for the use of groundwater have been developed that recognize the consequent potential for quality degradation, largely because groundwater is not a highly visible resource, nor a resource whose importance is fully recognized.

Subject Headings: Water resources | Water shortage | Groundwater quality | Groundwater | Surface water | Water demand | Salt water | California | United States

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