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A summary of ground-water pumpage in the Central Valley, California, 1961-77

Water-Resources Investigations Report 83-4037
By:  and 
https://doi.org/10.3133/wri834037

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Abstract

In the Central Valley of California, a great agricultural economy has been developed in a semiarid environment. This economy is supported by imported surface water and 9 to 15 million acre-feet per year of ground water. Estimates of ground-water pumpage computed from power consumption have been compiled and summarized. Under ideal conditions, the accuracy of the methods used is about 3 percent. This level of accuracy is not sustained over the entire study area. When pumpage for the entire area is mapped, the estimates seem to be consistent areally and through time. A multiple linear-regression model was used to synthesize data for the years 1961 through 1977, when power data were not available. The model used a relation between ground-water pumpage and climatic indexes to develop a full suite of pumpage data to be used as input to a digital ground-water model, one of the products of the Central Valley Aquifer Project. Statistical analysis of well-perforation data from drillers ' logs and water-temperature data was used to determine the percentage of pumpage that was withdrawn from each of two horizontal layers. (USGS)

Suggested Citation

Diamond, J., and Williamson, A.K., 1983, A summary of ground-water pumpage in the Central Valley, California, 1961-77: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 83-4037, v, 75 p. :ill., maps ;28 cm., https://doi.org/10.3133/wri834037.

Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title A summary of ground-water pumpage in the Central Valley, California, 1961-77
Series title Water-Resources Investigations Report
Series number 83-4037
DOI 10.3133/wri834037
Year Published 1983
Language ENGLISH
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey,
Description v, 75 p. :ill., maps ;28 cm.
Additional publication details