Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Water Sources, Distribution, Pollution

San Diego is a large county in Southern California, consisting of a predominantly semi-arid, Mediterranean climate. Only about 10-20 percent of the water is supplied by rainfall collected in the county's reservoirs, while the remaining 80-90 percent comes from two separate sources. One source is the Colorado River, coming from Lake Havasu via aqueduct. The rest comes from Northern California via the State Water Project, and is carried via aqueduct from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The water is treated in San Diego's reservoirs for treatment and distributed to the people.

In California water is a big issue, and water rights are even bigger. Regulations in treatment and distribution of drinking water are a touchy subject for many drinking water providers.

Gallatin County in Montana is vastly different from San Diego, with a higher average rainfall (higher even than the rest of the state), and snow, of course. In particular, the City of Bozeman is supplied by Lyman Creek in the Bridger Mountains, and Sourdough and Hyalite Creeks in the Gallatin Mountains. The Lyman Creek source is ground-water. Water from Sourdough and Hyalite is treated at the Sourdough Water Treatment Plant, which provides about 75% of the water requirement for the city.

I am just learning about water rights and distribution in Montana, but from my research thus far, it seems that agricultural run-off is a major cause of pollution in streams and lakes, and the major effect on water quality.

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