If the California State Water Project’s service area was its own nation, it would rank as the eighth largest economy in the world, according to a report from the California Department of Water Resources and Berkeley Research Group.
The California SWP is the backbone of California water infrastructure, delivering water supply, protecting against floods, generating clean hydropower, providing recreational opportunities and environmental benefits, and driving California’s economy. For the past 60 years, the SWP has supported a service area with an economy worth $2.3 trillion.
“The State Water Project provides a critical water supply to a majority of California’s households and supports an economy between the size of France and Italy,” said Professor David Sunding, lead author of the report. “Maintaining the reliability of the State Water Project is critical to California’s wellbeing as the project’s water is inexpensive relative to the cost of developing alternative supplies.”
The SWP’s sustainable water supply will become even more critical to the state’s economy in the face of climate change impacts. According to California’s Water Supply Strategy: Adapting to a Hotter, Drier Future, California could potentially lose up to 10% of its overall water supply by 2040.
“The State Water Project’s clean, reliable, and affordable water supply will be vital to adapting our economy to the impacts of climate change,” said Department of Water Resources Director Karla Nemeth. “California’s disadvantaged communities are particularly vulnerable and State Water Project water will be essential to preserve human health and safety.”
The SWP supplies water to 27 million people and 750,000 acres of irrigated farmland. This water supply supports an economy that provides 8.7 million full-time jobs, contains 800,000 businesses, and employs 160,000 farmworkers. The agricultural land irrigated by the SWP water produces $19 billion in crops and agricultural products every year.
The SWP also uses the water for hydropower generation. The SWP is a system of 32 storage facilities, 21 pumping plants, four pumping-generating plants, eight conventional hydroelectric plants and about 700 miles of canals and pipelines. Among these generating plants is the 762 MW Hyatt Powerplant at the foot of Oroville Dam.
The Berkeley Research Group’s study also found that the SWP is one of the most affordable and cost-effective sources of water in California. Compared to alternative water sources, including desalination, water recycling, stormwater capture, and water conservation, SWP water is significantly cheaper and can be provided at a higher scale.
California’s disadvantaged communities are especially reliant on this affordable water. There are 8.2 million people in disadvantaged communities that receive some of their water from the SWP. That’s about 75% of California’s residents that live in a disadvantaged community. One in three people who receive water from the SWP are residents of a disadvantaged community.
