The two main uses of water in California are Agriculture (80%) and Urban (20%):

Agriculture: California is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world, producing over 250 different crops and 75 commodities, according to the Department of Water Resources. Most of this production would not be possible without irrigation. California agriculture uses roughly 30 million acre-feet of water a year on 9.6 million acres. Water management strategies are currently being developed to improve the efficiency of water use without decreasing yield.

Urban: Without efforts to improve the efficiency of water use, California will face an increase in demand for urban water in the coming decades, which poses environmental and financial challenges we should consider when making choices about water use. For example, The Public Policy Institute of California suggests we can continue California’s tradition of developing innovative options for improving water-use efficiency and reducing demand, including water pricing structures, efficient appliances, and landscape regulation.

A study performed by the Pacific Institute, under the direction of Dr. Peter Gleick, found that a more water-efficient future is not only possible, but also likely to be cheaper and more environmentally sound. The Institute offered the following suggestions for moving toward this efficient future:

• Pricing policies that promote efficiency investments should be encouraged, while those that subsidize the inefficient use of water should be eliminated.
• Efforts to promote the use of water-efficient technologies and practices should be greatly expanded, in both the urban and agricultural sectors.
• Legislative, regulatory, and administrative support should be given to those water transfers that improve water-use efficiency, while promoting the overall well-being of rural communities.
• Educational programs on water use, and on the potential for water-use efficiency, should be expanded.
• Better combined land and water planning is needed.
• Environmental water needs should become integral to water policy decisions.