California + Water

California + Water.  These two words have had a difficult relationship for some years now.  Drought.  Climate change.  Extreme seasons.  Snow Pack. Wildfires. Conservation. There are so many factors that impact our water supply from year to year and season to season.  

But it’s not all bad news for water supplies in California, and specifically the East Bay.  As you may know, the majority of our water supply comes from the Tuolumne and Alameda Watersheds.  The former draws primarily from Hetch Hetchy, Pardee Reservoir, Cherry Lake and Lake Eleanor as the main suppliers of city water for the East Bay communities and San Francisco.  These water supplies are still in reasonably good shape but because of our less predictable seasons (read: extremely wet vs. extremely dry) they vary in supply from year to year.  

**Image from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuolumne_River

The latter is the Alameda watershed which stretches about 675 miles from Mt. Diablo to Mt. Hamilton and supplies the groundwater for wells on rural, private properties and also contributes to some city water resources. Groundwater is more prone to the shifts from extreme wet to drought conditions and therefore well performance is likely to shift throughout the year. The rainwater has quite a journey to make to make it all the way down to groundwater level (see image!), with most of it making its way through the watershed, eventually to the ocean where it will start its journey once again.  

*Image USGS

What’s important for you to know as a property owner or prospective owner is to have a solid understanding of your water supply.  If you’ll be relying on wells, then you’ll need to get an expert out to check the current performance of your wells and pumps.  Also, if your property is located adjacent to water, it’s important to know if your property comes with Riparian (water) Rights. Once a property loses those rights, they are often gone forever and that can drastically reduce property value.  

To read more in depth about water supplies for the Bay Area here are a few articles for you to dig into;

1. What is Groundwater?  https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/groundwater-what-groundwater

2. Here’s where the Bay Area’s water actually comes from, and what to expect during California’s drought.  https://www.sfchronicle.com/local/article/Here-s-where-the-Bay-Area-s-water-actually-comes-16220701.php

If you need any help or recommendations finding resources for your well and water research, don’t hesitate to reach out.  

If you are thinking about buying or selling your property or home this year, reach out to me.  I’d love to help you or anyone you know get the most out of your investment.