water crisis and lessons learned from texas and california
DESCRIPTION
Presented by Bill Swanson & Stefan Schuster at the Texas Water Conservation Association Conference in The Woodlands, Texas - March 2014TRANSCRIPT
Water Crisis: Lessons Learned from Texas and California
Bill Swanson & Stefan Schuster
Woodlands March 5, 2014
DROUGHT!!
Folsom Reservoir near Sacramento
Lake Travis
50+ in
~ 15 in
< 5 in
Hydrologic Reality Inspired a Hydraulic Society
California’s First Wave of Growth Was Supported by Local Agency Projects
Los Angeles Aqueduct
Los Angeles Department of Water & Power
1913
William Mulholland
William Mulholland
Los Angeles Aqueduct
Los Angeles Aqueduct
California’s First Wave of Growth Was Supported by Local Agency Projects
Hetch Hetchy System
Hetch Hetchy System
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
1923
Michael O’Shaughnessy
Los Angeles Aqueduct
Hetch Hetchy System
California’s First Wave of Growth Was Enabled by Local Agency Projects
Mokelumne River Aqueduct
East Bay Municipal Utilities District
Mokelumne River Aqueduct 1929
Pardee ReservoirPardee Reservoir
Los Angeles Aqueduct
Mokelumne River Aqueduct
Hetch Hetchy System
And Was Continued by Federal, State, and Regional Agencies
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Colorado River Aqueduct
1941
Hoover DamParker Dam
Colorado River
Aqueduct
All American Canal
Los Angeles Aqueduct
Colorado River
Aqueduct
All American Canal
Mokelumne River Aqueduct
Hetch Hetchy System
And Was Continued by Federal, State, and Regional Agencies
Central Valley Project
US Bureau of Reclamation
Central Valley Project
1948 - 1st water delivered
Shasta Lake
All American Canal
Los Angeles Aqueduct
Mokelumne River Aqueduct
Hetch Hetchy System
Colorado River
Aqueduct
And Was Continued by Federal, State, and Regional Agencies
State Water Project
California Department of Water Resources
State Water Project
1973 - 1st water to So.Cal.
California Aqueduct
Central Valley Project
Hydrology and Water Use Distribution
Average Annual Runoff
Average Annual Water Use
56 MAF/yr~80%
15 MAF/yr~20%
29 MAF/yr~66%
15 MAF/yr~33%
Water supply and use vary greatly from North to South
The difference in use is Coastal vs. Inland
Water Movement in California Today
— Central Valley Project — State Water Project — Local Projects
The Delta
The Role of Storage in Water Management
Source Area Reservoirs
Interim Storage
Reservoirs
Service Area Reservoirs
Role of Groundwater
Groundwater accounts for nearly 40% of California’s water supply
Environmental Litigation and Drought Reduced Available Supply
• Mono Lake Decision - 1994– Reduced Los Angeles Aqueduct Supply
• Quantification Settlement Agreement - 2003– Reduced Colorado River Aqueduct Supply
• Chinook and Delta Smelt Protections - ongoing– Reduced State Water Project and CVP Supplies
Shasta Dam and Reservoir
Completed 1945 by USBR
Dam height – 602 feet
Storage capacity – 4.55 MAF
Maximum flood space – 1.3 MAF
Surface at full pool – 29,500 ac
Generating capacity – 710 MW
Proposed Dam Raise
Use of Storage Space in Shasta Lake
Salmon and Delta Smelt
Winter Run Chinook Salmon
1996
Prop 2042000
Prop 132002
Prop 502006
Prop 842006
Prop 1ETOTAL
Conservation 60 105 200 180 545
Integrated Water Management 60 478 855 1,000 300 2,693
Storage 40 262 50 352
Ecosystems 442 556 1,550 2,638 5,186
Water Quality 140 70 715 380 1,305
Flood Protection 85 249 70 800 3,790 4,994
Co-Equal Delta 168 250 325 743
TOTAL 995 1,970 3,440 5,323 4,090 15,818
Recent CA Water Bond Measures ($M)
Snow Water Content
February 7, 2014
Statewide Average 11%
4 %
15 %
14 %
Change in Groundwater Storage (2005 – 2010)
Sac River Region -0.7 to -1.7 maf
SJ River Region -1.0 to -2.6 maf
Tulare Lake Region -3.7 to -8.9 maf
How Dry is Dry?
Shasta Lake
• Executive Order B-21-13: Streamline water transfers (May 2013)
• California Water Plan Update (draft Oct 2013)
• Drought Task Force Established (Dec 2013)
• Governor’s Drought Proclamation and Water Action Plan (Jan 2014)
State Actions In Response to Ongoing Drought
• Water is California’s Life Blood
• California’s Complex Water Resources System is in Crisis
• A Diverse Portfolio Approach is Required
• The Solution Requires Integration, Alignment and Investment
• We All Have a Role to Play in Securing Our Future
Charting a Course for California Water Management – Key Messages
1. Make conservation a California way of life
2. Increase regional self-reliance and integrated water management
across all levels of government
3. Achieve the co-equal goals for the Delta
4. Protect and restore important ecosystems
5. Manage and prepare for dry periods
6. Expand water storage capacity and improve groundwater management
7. Provide safe water for all communities
8. Increase flood protection
9. .Increase opera1onal and regulatory efficiency
10. Identify sustainable and integrated financing opportunities
California Water Action Plan10 Priority Actions / Objectives
• State– made $6??M available for water project development
• Federal – made $300 M available for aid and water projects– Introducing legislation to authorize 4 storage projects
State and Federal Response
Texas Water Basics
• Prior Appropriation– Origin in 1880’s
from Miner’s Claims
– “First in Time, First in Right”
– Junior and Senior Rights
– Permitted and Non-Permitted Appropriations
– Beneficial Uses
Existing
Water Suppl
ies
Projected
Water Dema
nd
Surplus (+)
or Need
(-)
Project future population and water demand Quantify existing and future water supplies Identify surpluses and needs Evaluate and recommend water management
strategies Make policy recommendations Adopt the plan
Regional Water Planning
1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Decade
Nu
mb
er
of
GC
Ds
Fo
rme
d
Groundwater law in Texas leaves too much uncertainty and risk for the private and public sectors,” added Puente. “I hope that the proposers and cities across the state will join SAWS in calling for the legislature to change the law so Texans can build projects to meet growing future demand.”
An Explosion of GCDs in past 10 Years
Reservoir Conservation Storage
Storage for Feb. 18, 2014: 20.1 Million acre-ft (64.1%)Conservation Capacity: 31.4 Million acre-ft
Major Municipal ReservoirSystem Storage (% Full)As of: Feb. 18, 2014
Percent Full
18.7%
0.0%
10.3%
7.2%
8.5%
26.1%100.0%
86.4%99.0%
98.4%
94.7%68.7%71.6%
92.4%75.9%
40.8%
52.4%49.3%
44.4%
16.6%
El Paso
Groundwater Levels in Observation Wells
Ogallala -0.07’,-1.65’ Trinity 0.61’,1.0’
Edwards2.74’,-10.5’
Gulf Coast 2.29’,5.13’
Ogallala 0.0’,-1.0’
Carrizo-Wilcox
0.76’,5.36’
Trinity 1.08’,0.26’
Hueco-Mesilla Bolson
-0.62’,-1.03’
Carrizo-Wilcox
15.69’,-23.74’
Change from Last Month, Year
Seymour -0.28’,-0.87’
Gulf Coast0.36’,-2.21’
Pecos Valley-0.51’,-3.99’
Ogallala 0.14’,-1.45’
Bone Spring-Victorio Peak
3.96’,1.21’Edwards
-0.12’,1.65’
Trinity 0.79’, -5.91’
End of January 2014
Texas Reservoir Storage Capacity per CapitaA
cre
-fe
et
pe
r P
ers
on
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
1953
Reservoir Storage Capacity per CapitaA
cre
-fe
et
pe
r P
ers
on
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
United States
Texas
Policy Recommendations
• Acquire feasible reservoir sites• Address Inter-basin transfer issues• Desired future conditions petition process
• Water loss audits• Finance the State Water Plan
What Have We Learned?
• Reliability is best achieved through diversification
• Conservation and reuse are fundamental elements
• Planning is important but IMPLEMENTATION of the plan is critical
• Energy water demand needs to be considered
• Funding is never enough
“Whiskey is for drinkin’, water is for fightin’ over” - Traditional Western
“Americans will always do the right thing … after they’ve exhausted all the alternatives.” – Winston Churchill
Questions