Many areas of the state rely on ground water for all their water, while others use it only as a backup source when surface supplies run short. In an average year, about 14 million acre feet of water are extracted from underground aquifers with 8.5 million net acre feet used by agriculture, cities and industry. Net" use of ground water is the difference between the amount of water extracted and the amount that percolates from the surface back into underground aquifers.
Nine Regional Water Quality Control Boards located throughout California assist the State Board in regulating water quality. Housed in the Department of Health Services, the Office of Drinking Water oversees operation of public water systems, develops regulations for drinking water and enforces those regulations. The Colorado River Board of California protects the state's interests regarding the power and water resources of the seven-state Colorado River Basin. The state Department of Fish and Game(DFG) protects and conserves the state's native fish, plants and wildlife.
