It takes more than snow and rainfall to keep California’s taps flowing; it demands energy and lots of it, particularly during a record-setting drought.
The state’s water and wastewater utilities consume large amounts of electricity to pump, treat, transport, and deliver water–and their energy requirements are expected to keep growing as California responds to increasingly severe drought.
By investing in clean, renewable energy sources, water utilities can better adapt to changing conditions while creating new revenue streams, protecting their customers from electricity price volatility, and enhancing the state's efforts to reduce global warming pollution.
In this report
Explainer
Groundwater and Global Warming in the Western US
Learn how global warming is affecting the timing and availability of water resources in the western US.
Report
The Big Water Supply Shift in California
Drought and climate change are depleting California's traditional water supplies from snowmelt-fed reservoirs, rivers, and streams. The state must now plan for a different water future.
Downloads
Related resources
Feature
2024 Annual Report
With your help, we made significant strides toward a better future in 2024.
Report
Storing the Future
Illinois has an ambitious goal to eliminate heat-trapping emissions from its power plants. Smart energy storage policy can help get us there.
Activist Resource
A Path Forward
We know the next four years will be a dangerous time for our country and for everyone who cares about a safe, sustainable, and just future.
Report
Beyond the Smokestack
By investing in renewable energy, we can directly ramp down gas—and decrease its climate, health, and environmental harms.