CATECHISM 11 



only the rapid ruin for human use of the land eroded but also that 

 the' rate of silting up of artificial reservoirs will be much more 

 rapid. Shortening the life of reservoirs will mean that their annual 

 cost will be increased, and financial hardship, or even bankruptcy. 

 possibly brought upon irrigation districts or other agencies paying 

 for them. 



WATER RESOURCES 



1. Why is water so important to the social and industrial welfare 

 of California? 



In California, water is the "white coal" of industry and the 

 u gold " of agricultural prosperity. During 1930 the electric pro- 

 duction from the State's hydroelectric plants reached the record total 

 of 6,803,479 kilowatt-hour-, or 76 per cent of the total electrical 

 energy generated in the State and 20 per cent of the hydrogenerated 

 energy of the entire United States. Nearly 5,000,000 acres is under 

 irrigation in the State and the potential irrigable area is estimated 

 to be about four times that amount. The value of the fruit crop on 

 irrigated lands amounts to about $200,000,000 annually. 



2. What part do national forests play in the water supply of 

 California? 



The principal national-forest areas of California are practically 

 coincident with the areas embracing the valuable water powers. 

 The ultimate capacity of these resources in the State is over 

 6.000,000 horsepower, of which about 20 per cent is developed at 

 the present time. Of the total acreage under irrigation in the State 

 at the present time, it is estimated that more than two-thirds is di- 

 rectly dependent on the national forests for its water supply. More 

 than 120 cities, towns, and settlements of California, including Los 

 Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara. Oakland, and Berkeley, with 

 a total population of over 3,000.000 people, draw their water supply 

 from the national forests, and in addition Pasadena and Sacramento 

 are looking to national-forest streams for enlargement of their 

 present supply. 



3. How does the Federal administration of forest lands affect the 

 development of the water resources of the State? 



The Forest Service and Federal Power Commission, which have 

 jurisdiction within the national forests, control development so 

 that the full, advantageous, and economical use of the water resources 

 of any stream may be achieved. In accomplishing this, these Fed- 

 eral agencies cooperate with the State engineer. 



4. Does a State permit for a water right allow diversion of water 

 on national-forest land? 



The State will not issue a permit fur a water right on national- 

 forest land until a permit for the use of the land involved is issued 

 by the forest supervisor, or by the Federal Power Commission where 

 power development is involved. 



