SUSTAINABLE WATER MANAGEMENT Project Overview

SUSTAINABLE WATER MANAGEMENT PROJECT OVERVIEW

Brad Moore September 2012

ACFS’s mission is to achieve equitable water-sharing solutions among stakeholders that balance economic, ecological and social values, while ensuring sustainability for current and future generations.

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Consensus is critical. ACFS members seek to understand one another’s interests as they work together, but accept that their interests will differ. Consensus ensures no stakeholder interest is left out.

•2011 consensus on science based approach•Developed specifications and executed RFQ Process•Initiated fundraising campaign•Chose contractors and started fall 2011

PROJECT HISTORY

16 March 20115

PROJECT TEAM

6

Kristin RowlesGail Bingham

facilitators

TOCWG

WORK PLAN TASKS

• Performance Metrics• IFA – rivers and bay• Data Gathering• Modeling• WMA’s• Model Runs• Consensus

16 March 2011 7

2. Problem Definition/Performance Indicators

1. Work Plan

8. Report and Study Dissemination

3. Tailoring of Models to Indicators (ACF-DSS and ResSim)

NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

4. Data and Information

5. Development of Water Management Alternatives

6. Conduct Iterative Basin Assessments

7. Seek Consensus

OVERALL SUSTAINABLE WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN TASKS

JAN FEB

Overall Plan Tasks

8

16 March 20119

Modeling

•Modeling to be performed by GWRI•ACF-DSS will be used•Additionally, scenarios will be performed using both ResSim and ACF-DSS.

• Nodes• Storage (volume

and stage/storage)• Unimpaired

inflows• Water

withdrawals• Water returns

• Evaporation history

• Precipitation history

• Hydropower facilities

• Operational constraints

MODEL INPUTS

16 March 201110

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PERFORMANCE METRICS

• Desired lake levels• Navigation windows• Environmental flows • Flows needed for industry or thermal power• Reservoir operations

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PERFORMANCE METRICS SUMMARY TABLE

NODE Water Supply ENVIRONMENTAL RECREATION NAVIGATION

Lake Lanier Seasonal graph NA

Columbus 1850cfs NA

Bainbridge March-May

Sumatra Hi, med,low flow hydrographs

March-May 9ft channel

• Unimpaired inflow (UIF) series represent the natural inflows that would occur if no human development were present

UNIMPAIRED FLOWS

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16 March 2011 15

A workshop focused on the UIF data series to be

held on September 10th

Water Balance

1. Water Withdrawals – Tabulation of existing, proposed, and growth based (future) water users in the basin; includes municipal, industrial, agricultural, and thermoelectric users

2. Water Returns – Tabulation of existing and future returns from municipal and industrial NPDES permit holders

Withdrawals

Returns

Net Consumption = SWithdrawals - SReturns

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Components of an Environmental Flow Recommendation

1. Goal – prevent unacceptable environmental impacts

2. Identification of resources of interest to be protected

3. Unit of measure (e.g., flow in cfs, habitat in useable area, days of inundation, salinity) METRIC

4. A benchmark period (UNIMPAIRED FLOW), and

5. A protection standard statistic PERFORMANCE MEASURE

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• Principle 1: Flow is a major determinant of physical habitat in streams, which in turn is a major determinant of biotic composition.

• Principle 2: Aquatic species have evolved life history strategies primarily in direct response to the natural flow regime.

• Principle 3: Maintenance of natural patterns of longitudinal and lateral connectivity is essential to the viability of populations of many riverine species.

Basic Principles and Ecological Consequences of Altered Flow Regimes for Aquatic Biodiversity

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Habitat-Based Approach

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

1 51 101 151 201 251 301 351

Stan

dard

ized

Med

ian

Daily

(cf

s/m

ile2)

Day of Year

CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER NEAR NORCROSS, GA

Pre 1957 1975 Post

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

1 51 101 151 201 251 301 351

Stan

dard

ized

Med

ian

Daily

(cf

s/m

ile2)

Day of Year

CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER AT WEST POINT, GA

Pre 1957 1975 Post

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

1 51 101 151 201 251 301 351

Stan

dard

ized

Med

ian

Daily

(cf

s/m

ile2)

Day of Year

CHATTAHOOCHEE at or near COLUMBIA, AL

Pre 1957 1975 Post

Note: Evaluate with caution since the data presented are based on the flows from two different sites

Regulated Flow Regime

Fish Passage

Floodplain

Snags

Exposed Roots

Long-Term Inundation Analysis

e.g., Potential criterion – X% reduction in flow reduces the number of days of inundation of exposed root habitat by X%

B3B

302826242220181614121086420

B3S

302826242220181614121086420

B2S

302826242220181614121086420

B1B

302826242220181614121086420

B2B

302826242220181614121086420

B1S

302826242220181614121086420

Low Flow

High Flow

Hydrodynamic Model OutputFor Bay

• Soliciting a panel of experts to review to receive briefing.

• Stakeholder meetings to develop WMAs

• Screening process of WMAs during iterative model runs.

WATER MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVES PROCESS

• Each stakeholder gets input

WATER MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVES

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• Potential changes to RIOP• Interbasin transfers• Municipal conservation• Additional storage• Agricultural conservation/limits

WATER MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVE EXAMPLES

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1. Unimpaired Baseline - no dams2. Baseline with dams and run of river3. RIOP operation of reservoirs AND

current water demands and discharges

4. Alternative WMA Scenarios (iterative)

MODELING SCENARIO PROGRESSION

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2. Problem Definition/Performance Indicators

1. Work Plan

8. Report and Study Dissemination

3. Tailoring of Models to Indicators (ACF-DSS and ResSim)

NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

4. Data and Information

5. Development of Water Management Alternatives

6. Conduct Iterative Basin Assessments

7. Seek Consensus

OVERALL SUSTAINABLE WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN TASKS

JAN FEB

Where are we now?

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REPORT AND STUDY DISSEMINATION

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ACFS WILL CARRY

RECOMMENDATIONS

TO STATES AND USACE

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ANY QUESTIONS ?

PROJECT OVERVIEW