Jeanette Furlong

Righetti

Honors Physics

December 2016

Water Storage

Water storage has become a vital issue in the state of California over the last decade. With

California's population increasing by an average of .9% each year (journalfirsttuesday.us), there

has become a much more urgent demand for very water-intensive crops. Decreasing snowpacks,

drought, and the dwindling of major water sources such as the Colorado River and San-Joaquin

Delta have all contributed to California water storage issue. Philosophyparadise.com says that

85% of Californians receive water from nearly 380 spectate water agencies. I believe that I may

have a solution to our on-going water storage and shortage crisis. If we can replenish our

underground aquifers, California will be better able to accommodate for our water usage.

One of the most prominent causes water crises in California would be our dependence on

underground aquifers. The purpose of having aquifers to transport fresh water to distant places.

However, there are now ethical issues arising because of new underground chemicals and

creatures polluting the fresh water running through the aqueducts, (philosophyparadise.com).

Farmers in the state of California are draining these underground aquifers to increase the

efficiency of their farms water use and transportation. Due to the excessive use of underground

aquifers, in November of 2014, California approved a $7.54 billion water bond initiative (known

as proposition 1), that allows $2.7 billion dollars to be used for water storage. While it seems as

though Propostion 1 of 2014 would replenish our underground aquifers, farmers still need to be

reassured that if they conserve some of their water, they will be able to reclaim it later.
 A family of four on average uses 400 gallons of water a day (www3.epa.gov). California

alone contains 12,717,801 households (http://www.census.gov/). An estimated 928,399,473,000

gallons of water are being used each year for households holding two people. Seeing as

California must utilize over 380 different water agencies throughout the state of California, I

believe that there is a way to refine our usage and storage. In California to build a home there are

numerous permits, requirements, and regulations that you must fulfill. California needs to be

setting a higher building standards in order to keep in mind our water shortage dilemma. For

example; water saving toilets, sprinklers, and shower heads have all been designed in order to

save on water and help alleviate the water issues that California.

One way in which we can replenish our underground aquifers would be through, artificial

recharge. This a very common process to replenish groundwater, (academic.evergreen.edu).

Examples of artificial recharge are, "reclaimed municipal wastewater, water traps, cutwaters,

drainage wells, septic tanks, effluent disposal wells, and sinkhole injection of excess surface

flows. Each of these methods for replenishment of underground aquifers, take wastewater, treat it

(each process uses a different method to test wastewater), and then re-insert it into the

underground aquifers.

Bibliography

"Population Estimates, July 1, 2015, (V2015)." California QuickFacts from the US Census

Bureau. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2016.

"Page Name." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2016.

"California Water Problem, and Proposed Solutions." PhilosophyParadise Blog. N.p., n.d.

Web. 09 Dec. 2016.

Paige Blankenbuehler Aug. 6, 2015 Web Exclusive Print Share Subscribe Donate Now.

"California Drought Renews Push for Water Storage Projects." California Drought

Renews Push for Water Storage Projects. N.p., 06 Aug. 2015. Web. 09 Dec. 2016.

"Water Is Life - Groundwater Replenishment." Water Is Life - Groundwater Replenishment.

N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2017.