Water Resources Water Resources UpdateUpdate

ORSANCO Technical Committee ORSANCO Technical Committee

June 4-5, 2013June 4-5, 2013

Water Resources CommitteeWater Resources Committee

• WRC met April 9th • Agenda included:

– Water Resource Initiative reports– Discussion: Path to a sustained role in water

resources management– PA Ecosystem flow studies– USACE Climate Change Adaptation Study– Headwaters Resource Committee update– Member Updates

• USGS National Water Availability Assessment

Water Resources ReportsWater Resources Reports

• Current draft reports– Water Use Characterization– Water Resource Laws & Regs

• Next draft reports – Shale gas development– Inter-basin transfers

• Remaining sections– Report #1 – Climate change– Report #2 – Discussion of gaps in existing

authorities necessary to address critical needs

Inter-basin TransfersInter-basin Transfers3,782 peripheral miles of the ORB

13 major river basins - Great Lakes - SRBC - ICPRB - ACF-ACT - Savannah (SRBP) - UMRBA

• TVA

IBT PoliciesIBT Policies

Inter-basin TransfersInter-basin Transfers• 37 IBTs identified

– 28 Exit 235 Mgal/day

– 9 Enter 6.4 Mgal/day

• Net-loss of 229 Mgal/day

• 206 Mgal/day Exit via Canals• 29 Mgal/day primarily municipal IBTs

Canalled DiversionsCanalled Diversions

200 Mgal/day

Moving Beyond the WRIMoving Beyond the WRI

• Currently no funding beyond 2014• Water Resources MOU

– MOU is important for achieving state funding– Supported by some states, but need more– Commissioners elected not to move forward with

MOU at this time

• Possible approach: States provide routine minimal base funding to support sustained Commission engagement in water resources issues– Special projects could be completed with targeted

funding

Next StepsNext Steps• Water Resources Initiative

– Reports• Finalize – Laws & Regs; Water Use Characterization• Draft – Inter-basin Transfers; Shale Gas• Initiate – Climate change

• Water Resources MOU– Continue to work with states to gauge support

• Agency Visits– Meet with water resource agency staff to gain

better understanding of specific issues/needs

• Next WRC meeting in August

QUESTIONS?