Water crisis and lessons learned from Texas and California

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