The California Water Code requires the Department to publish an update of the California Water Plan every five years. Bulletin 160-98 is the latest in a series of water plan updates. The previous update, Bulletin 160-93, was released in 1994. The Bulletin 160 series evaluates water supplies and assesses agricultural, urban, and environmental water uses to quantify the gap between water supplies and uses. In response to public comments on Bulletin 160-93, the main focus of Bulletin 160-98 was to evaluate options for meeting the State's future water needs.

Executive Summary Front Matter Chapter 1. Introduction Chapter 2. Current Events in California Water Management Chapter 3. Water Supplies Chapter 4. Urban, Agricultural, and Environmental Water Use Chapter 5. Balancing Supply and Demand Appendix ES5A. Regional Water Budgets with Existing Facilities and Programs Appendix ES5B. Regional Water Budgets with Options Likely to Be Implemented Abbreviations/Acronyms Volume 1 Front Matter Chapter 1. Introduction Appendix 1A. Comparison of 2020 Average Year Forecasts Between Bulletin 160-93 and Bulletin 160-98 Appendix 1B. Summary of Public Comments on Draft Bulletin 160-98 Chapter 2. Recent Events in California Water Appendix 2A. Institutional Framework for Allocating and Managing Water Resources in California Chapter 3. Water Supplies Chapter 4. Urban, Agricultural, and Environmental Water Use Appendix 4A. Urban and Agricultural Water Pricing Appendix 4B. BMP REvisions and Water Savings Assumptions Appendix 4C. Normalizing Urban Water Use Data Chapter 5. Technology in Water Management Volume 2 Front Matter Chapter 6. Evaluating Options From a Statewide Perspective Appendix 6A. Regional Water Budgets with Existing Facilities and Programs Appendix 6B. Applied Water Shortages by Hydrologic Region with Existing Facilities and Programs Appendix 6C. Estimating a Water Management Option's Unit Cost Appendix 6D. Calculation of Minimum New Water Needs Appendix 6E. Net Water Budgets Appendix 6F. Land Retirement Analysis in Drainage-Impaired Areas Appendix 6G. Review and Evaluation of Statewide-Level Storage Facilities That Could Be Included in CALFED Alternatives Chapter 7. Options for Meeting Future Water Needs in Coastal Regions of California Appendix 7A. Options Evaluations for Coastal Regions Chapter 8. Options for Meeting Future Water Needs in Interior Regions of California Appendix 8A. Options Evaluations for Interior Regions Chapter 9. Options for Meeting Future Water Needs in Eastern Sierra and Colorado River Regions of California Appendix 9A. Options Evaluations for the Eastern Sierra and Colorado River Regions Chapter 10. Conclusions Appendix 10A. Regional Water Budgets with Likely Options Abbreviations and Acronyms Glossary Metric Conversion Page