Ground Water Atlas of the United States -
Segment 1 California Nevada
Fresh Ground-Water Withdrawals
Significant ground-water use in the Santa Clara Valley began about 1900 with the
development of irrigated agriculture. Average annual agricultural withdrawals
increased from about 40,000 acre-feet per year from 1915 to 1920 to a maximum
5-year average of about 103,000 acre-feet per year from 1945 to 1950. After
1945, urban and industrial development increased rapidly, and irrigated acreage
began to decline; agricultural withdrawals decreased to an average 20,000
acre-feet per year from 1970 to 1975. Meanwhile, municipal and industrial
withdrawals increased from about an average of 22,000 acre-feet per year from
1940 to 1945 to an average of 131,000 acre-feet per year from 1970 to 1975.
Total withdrawals in the valley increased from 50,000 acre-feet per year from
1915 to 1920 to 185,000 acre-feet per year from 1960 to 1965, and then declined
to about 150,000 acre-feet per year from 1970 to 1975 when surface-water imports
increased sufficiently to offset the excessive ground-water withdrawals.
Municipal and industrial ground-water use began to exceed agricultural use early
in the 1960's. Currently (1995), municipalities and industries account for about
90 percent of the water used in the valley. Ground water used for irrigated
agriculture averaged about 14,000 acre-feet per year from 1975 to 1980, while
the amount withdrawn for municipal and industrial use was about 150,000 acre
feet per year. The combined annual agricultural, municipal, and industrial
ground-water withdrawals of about 164,000 acre-feet were about one-half of the
total water used in the valley.
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