For all the benefits of precipitation, stormwater also brings
with it many challenges.
In urban areas, after long dry periods rainwater runoff can
contain heavy accumulations of pollutants that have built up over
time. For example, a rainbow like shine on a roadway puddle can
indicate the presence of oil or gasoline. Stormwater does not go
into the sewer. Instead, pollutants can be flushed into waterways
with detrimental effects on the environment and water quality.
Sinking of land(s) due to compaction, oxidation of peat soils,
and/or wind erosion, can occur when groundwater is overdrafted.
For a more detailed discussion of subsidence effects on
infrastructure, see the entry on Land Subsidence.
Rita Schmidt Sudman, who led the Water Education Foundation as
executive director for more than 30 years, is widely recognized
for her work since the 1980s as a journalist and communicator who
developed programs to foster public understanding of water issues
and for her work with stakeholders to find solutions. A former
radio and television reporter and producer, she oversaw the
development of print and digital publications, public television
programs, poster maps, tours, press briefings and a school
program.
Suisun Marsh is where fresh water
from the Sacramento-San Joaquin
Delta mixes with salt water from San Francisco Bay. The
116,000-acre marsh is the largest contiguous brackish-water
wetland in California and perhaps the entire western coast of
North America, providing food and habitat for thousands of
migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway and many species of plants,
fish and wildlife.
The story of California’s surface water— water that remains on
the earth’s surface, in rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs or
oceans—is one that reflects the state’s geographic complexity.
About 75 percent of California’s surface water supply originates
in the northern third of the state, but around 80 percent of
water demand occurs in the southern two-thirds of the state. And
the demand for water is highest during the dry summer months when
there is little natural precipitation or snowmelt.
A tremendous amount of time and technology is expended to make
surface water safe to drink. Surface water undergoes many
processes before it reaches a consumer’s tap.
California entered a new era of
groundwater management in 2014 with the passage of the
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), becoming the last
state in the arid West to enact some kind of comprehensive
groundwater
management program.
Sustainability is defined as that
which “meets the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” In
California, several efforts have been undertaken in recent years
to address the sustainability and resilience of the state’s vital
water resources.
