Bulletin 160-93, The California Water Plan Update, October 1994

Foreword

In 1957, the Department of Water Resources published Bulletin 3, The California Water Plan, a comprehensive plan to guide and coordinate the current and future beneficial use of California's water resources. Bulletin 3 became the foundation for a series of water plan updates, now known as the Bulletin 160 series. The updates were published five times between 1966 and 1987. While they generally did not contain specific blueprints for water management and development, they described California's water use and supply at the time of their publication, projected future water needs, and provided information to guide beneficial use of the State's water resources. Each of the updates presented the overall outlook for water conditions throughout the State by examining total water supply and demand with the technology and analytical methods current at the time the updates were being prepared.

The scope of the updates has remained essentially the same; however, each took its own distinctive approach to water resources planning, reflecting the issues or concerns prevalent at the time the update was being developed. Bulletin 160-93, The California Water Plan Update, continues this tradition but differs from its predecessors by:

• estimating environmental water needs separately and accounting for these needs along with urban and agricultural water demands;
• recognizing and presenting water demand management methods, including conservation and land retirement, as additional means of meeting water needs; and,
• presenting two separate water balance scenarios. The first compares average demands with average supplies, which portrays the general picture. The shortage shown under average conditions is chronic and indicates the need for additional long-term measures. The second water balance compares drought year demands with drought year supplies. The shortage illustrated under drought conditions requires both long-term and short-term drought management measures, depending on local water service reliability requirements.

This water plan update consists of two volumes. Volume I focuses on statewide issues and reports the status of water use and supply. It also discusses the nature of water resource management planning, reliability and shortages, and it recommends options for balancing water demand and supply in the future. Volume II presents issues specific to each of the ten major hydrologic regions and chronicles water use and supply conditions by region.

Bulletin 160-93 was developed with extensive public involvement in accordance with amendments to Sections 10004 and 10005 of the California Water Code. An outreach advisory committee made up of representatives of urban, agricultural, and environmental interests was established in July 1992 to assist the Department of Water Resources in preparing Bulletin 160-93. The committee met regularly to review and comment on the content and adequacy of work in progress. Public hearings in each of the State's ten major hydrologic regions were held by the California Water Commission to receive comments from the public. Summaries of the comments received during the public hearing and comment period are appended to this report.

The inclusion of environmental water needs, the commitment to implementation of extensive water conservation measures, and the public involvement in developing this plan reflect current socioeconomic priorities. Water resource management has become increasingly complex, and this water plan update reveals many of the changes now shaping water management decisions in California.

David N. Kennedy

Director

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