Last updated on December 19th, 2023 at 10:24 am
The water area of the State of California is 7,916 sq mi or 20,501 sq km.) And this how the United States Census Bureau come about the total area covered by water bodies.
CA’s total area is put at 163,695 sq mi (or 423,967 sq km) while the land area (without water bodies) is put at 155,779 sq mi (or 403,466). Therefore, 163,695sq mi – 155,779 sq mi = 7,916 sq mi.
The water area of the 58 counties in California is exactly what this article is about since the land area and water area in the state make up the total area of the state.
The focus of this article is to make access to information by researchers easier so that they can find what they are looking for in a single place. This is what we call actionable info and it is free to use. Information and data matter for national development.
The list of the water area of Counties in California gives you an insight in descending order of how wet your County is. It also shows which part of California County has the largest water area.
How water area is calculated?
The water area only includes only the perennial water. Glacier, swamp, and intermittent water are categorized as part of the land area in CA.
The combination of water and land area make up the total area and are treated by the state, country, county or local government areas as part of their territory. They are bound to defend against trespass.
So, don’t be surprised to see a nation or country defend their territory against external aggression on land, air, and the sea (water).
That’s by the side…
Which California Counties have the largest water area?
Located in Southern California, Santa Barbara County has the largest water area in the State of California, no wonder it is best known for its broad sandy beaches.
Sadly, most of the water area in Santa Barbara County is polluted. Sitting on a total area of 3,789 square miles, the county has 1,055.06 sq mi covered by water, thereby leaving 2,733.94 sq mi for the land area.
Does Santa Barbara County Supply California Water?
If you think the County of Santa Barbara should be the source of water to California or other states, the water area in this context doesn’t indicate that their water powers agricultural and domestic use.
Surprisingly, other data shows that Sacramento County which has just 28.73 sq mi of water area supplies more than 70% of California.
Los Angeles County, the 11th largest county by land area in CA, ranks No.2 by water area (691.72 sq mi) among the 58 Counties that make up California.
The County of Monterey is the third largest by water area. It has 489.28 sq mi covered by perennial water followed by Humboldt County and Mendocino respectively.
Which County in California has the smallest Water Area?
Kings County has most of its total area covered by land, only 1.03 sq mi is covered by water. With its 1,392 sq mi total area, 1,390.97 sq mi is land area. It is followed by San Benito County with less than a 2 sq mi water area.
Alpine County has the third smallest water area with 4.66 sq mi. Colusa County and Sutter County are the fourth and fifth respectively.
The below table shows the water area of California by counties, according to the U.S. Census Bureau data
| Rank | County | Water Area Area | Total Area |
| 1 | Santa Barbara | 1,955.06 sq mi | 3,789 sq mi |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 691.72 sq mi | 4,751 sq mi |
| 3 | Monterey | 489.28 sq mi | 3,771 sq mi |
| 4 | Humboldt | 483.81 sq mi | 4,052 sq mi |
| 5 | Mendocino | 371.18 sq mi | 3,878 sq mi |
| 6 | Ventura | 367.21 sq mi | 2,208 sq mi |
| 7 | San Luis Obispo | 315.15 sq mi | 3,616 sq mi |
| 8 | Marin | 307.58 sq mi | 828 sq mi |
| 9 | Imperial | 306.46 sq mi | 4,482 sq mi |
| 10 | San Mateo | 295.36 sq mi | 744 sq mi |
| 11 | Modoc | 254.77 sq mi | 4,203 sq mi |
| 12 | Del Norte | 223.77 sq mi | 1,230 sq mi |
| 13 | Sonoma | 192.37 sq mi | 1,768 sq mi |
| 14 | San Francisco | 184.98 sq mi | 231.89 sq mi |
| 15 | Lassen | 178.66 sq mi | 4,720 sq mi |
| 16 | Santa Cruz | 161.89 sq mi | 607 sq mi |
| 17 | Orange | 155.16 sq mi | 948 sq mi |
| 18 | Placer | 94.92 sq mi | 1,502 sq mi |
| 19 | Riverside | 93.73 sq mi | 7,303 sq mi |
| 20 | Constra Costa | 87.07 sq mi | 804 sq mi |
| 21 | Solano | 84.17 sq mi | 906 sq mi |
| 22 | Alameda | 83.54 sq mi | 821 sq mi |
| 23 | Mono | 83.1 sq mi | 3,132 sq mi |
| 24 | El Dorado | 78.15 sq mi | 1,786 sq mi |
| 25 | Lake | 72.45 sq mi | 1,329 sq mi |
| 26 | Shasta | 71.48 sq mi | 3,847 sq mi |
| 27 | Siskiyou | 68.23 sq mi | 6,347 sq mi |
| 28 | Plumas | 59.94 sq mi | 2,613 sq mi |
| 29 | Tuolumne | 53.09 sq mi | 2,274 sq mi |
| 30 | Fresno | 52.62 sq mi | 6,011 sq mi |
| 31 | San Diego | 50.67 sq mi | 4,260.9 sq mi |
| 32 | Merced | 41 sq mi | 1,979 sq mi |
| 33 | Napa | 40.64 sq mi | 789 sq mi |
| 34 | Butte | 40.51 sq mi | 1,677 sq mi |
| 35 | San Bernardino | 36.99 sq mi | 20,105 |
| 36 | San Joaquin | 33.63 sq mi | 1,426 sq mi |
| 37 | Inyo | 29.74 sq mi | 10,227 sq mi |
| 38 | Trinity | 28.73 sq mi | 3,208 sq mi |
| 38 | Sacramento | 28.73 sq mi | 965.27 sq mi |
| 40 | Kern | 28.35 sq mi | 8,163 sq mi |
| 41 | Stanislaus | 18.98 sq mi | 1,515 sq mi |
| 42 | Calaveras | 16.98 sq mi | 1,037 sq mi |
| 43 | Nevada | 16.24 sq mi | 974 sq mi |
| 44 | Madera | 16.08 sq mi | 2,153 sq mi |
| 45 | Tulare | 15.1 sq mi | 4,839 sq mi |
| 46 | Mariposa | 14.16 sq mi | 1,463 sq mi |
| 47 | Glenn | 13.03 sq mi | 1,327 sq mi |
| 48 | Santa Clara | 12.92 sq mi | 1,304 sq mi |
| 49 | Tehama | 12.8 sq mi | 2,962 |
| 50 | Yuba | 11.99 sq mi | 644 sq mi |
| 51 | Amador | 11.42 sq mi | 606 sq mi |
| 52 | Yolo | 9.27 sq mi | 1,024 sq i |
| 53 | Sierra | 8.83 sq mi | 962 sq mi |
| 54 | Sutter | 5.3 sq mi | 608 sq mi |
| 55 | Colusa | 5.29 sq mi | 1,156 sq mi |
| 56 | Alpine | 4.66 sq mi | 743 sq mi |
| 57 | San Benito | 1.35 sq mi | 1,390 sq mi |
| 58 | Kings | 1.03 sq mi | 1,392 sq mi |
Which California County supplies the highest water?
Sacramento County, especially the North of Sacramento is the major source of about 75 per cent of water in California.
What part of California uses the most water?
Considering the concentration of tech firms in the San Francisco Bay and South Coast regions, demand for water is high.
Therefore, they rely heavily on water importation from other parts of the state. No wonder San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities in the U.S.
Which sector uses the highest water in California?
Due to the high output of the agricultural sector and the largest contributor to the economy of California, the demand for water by farmers is high, as such, agriculture consumes about 80% of all water used in CA.
According to the California Department of Water Resources, “California’s agricultural success would not be possible without irrigation” which shows how important water is in CA. For instance, water-intensive crops like almonds and alfalfa need irrigation to get the best produce.
Which state uses the most water?
The State of California uses the most water in the United States due to the state’s active and productive agricultural sector.
For instance, cdfa.ca.gov disclosed that California’s agricultural sector accounted for $20.8 billion in export in 2020. This sector consumed trillions of litres of water before such an economic feat could be achieved.
Do California farmers buy water?
California farmers buy water because the available one is not sufficient to take care of their needs through the farming season.
The cost of pumping or purchasing water from a supplier is expensive. Because of the cost of water, The Washington Post in a report says farmers abandon 400,000 acres of agricultural land unplanted in 2021 due to lack of water.
References:
- QuickFacts from United State Census Bureau
- California Department of Water Resources. “Agricultural Water Use Efficiency”. water.ca.gov
- Scott Wilson (March 21, 2022). “As it enters a third year, California’s drought is strangling the farming industry”. washingtonpost.com
