How Does California Use the Colorado River Basin?
Water from the Colorado River is diverted to California with the help of dams, reservoirs, and miles of canals and other man-made waterways. The water from the Colorado River is used throughout southern California as a source of both potable water for area residents and for industrial and agricultural purposes.
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History
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The history of the Colorado River allocation to the Upper Basin (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) and Lower Basin (Nevada, Arizona, and California) states can be traced back to the signing of the Colorado River Compact by delegates from the seven basin states on November 9, 1922. The compact came about following fears that California officials were planning to take a disproportionately large amount of water from the Colorado River due to the state's rising population and water needs. In putting together the compact, state delegates worked to come up with an agreement that fairly apportioned the river's water among the seven states.
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
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The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWDSC) provides water over an area of 5,200 square miles to the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura. The Colorado River Aqueduct, which runs from Lake Havasu in Arizona to Lake Mathews in Riverside, California, transfers 1.3 million acre-feet of water each year over a distance of 242 miles. The water provided by the MWDSC is primarily used as a source of potable water for water district area residents and businesses.
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Imperial Irrigation District
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The Imperial Irrigation District is the largest irrigation district in the United States. It consists of over 3,000 miles of canals and drains. Water from the Colorado River is used to irrigate nearly 500,000 acres, 97 percent of which is farmland. Water is also used for industrial, rural-residential, and municipal non-potable purposes.
Coachella Valley Water District
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The Coachella Valley Water District, which stretches from Palm Springs to the Salton Sea, primarily uses water from the Colorado River to recharge an underground aquifer lying beneath the district and to irrigate the district's nearly 60,000 acres of farmland.
Palo Verde Irrigation District
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The Palo Verde Irrigation District covers 189 square miles of land in California's Riverside and Imperial Counties. Water from the Colorado River is used primarily to irrigate citrus farms here.
Bard Water District
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The Bard Water District is located in southeastern California. The water is used to irrigate 14,676 acres of farmland in Bard Valley, including 7,120 acres of private land and 7,556 acres of Quechan Indian Reservation land.
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