Water Infrastructure Needs in the Columbia River Basin · Columbia River Basin Legislative Council on River Governance August 21, 2012 Bryan Horsburgh, Deputy Manager, Resource and

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Water Infrastructure Needs in the

Columbia River Basin Legislative Council on River Governance

August 21, 2012

Bryan Horsburgh, Deputy Manager, Resource and Technical Services

Pacific Northwest Region

Outline

• Introduction to the Bureau of Reclamation

• Climate Change Projections

• Water Conservations Strategies

• Infrastructure Case Studies

– Yakima River Integrated Water Resource

Management Plan

– Henry’s Fork Basin Study

http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/cwp/YBIP.html

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Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation)

• Assist in meeting the

increasing water

demands of the

West while

protecting the

environment and the

public's investment

Bureau of Reclamation

• Provides one out of

five Western farmers

with irrigation water

for an estimated 10

million acres of

farmland

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Bureau of Reclamation

• Second largest producer

of hydroelectric power in

the western United States

– 58 power plants annually

provide more than 40

billion kilowatt hours

– Generate nearly a billion

dollars in power revenues

and produce enough

electricity to serve 3.5

million homes.

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Climate Change

In 2009 the SECURE Water Act was enacted

Coordination LCCs, Reclamation Inter- and intra-agency Coordination, Secure

Climate Change Workshop

Climate Change

Science WaterSMART Grants to Develop Climate Analysis Tools, CSCs,

WWCRAs, R&D Climate Science Research , Collaboration with

CSCs, NOAA, RISAs NCAR and other research agencies

Assessing Risks /

Impacts Develop

Adaptation Options

Basin Studies, WWCRAs, Feasibility Studies (NEPA

Integration); Report to Congress

Adaptation /

Mitigation

Secure Feasibility Studies, Dam Safety Program Integration,

Reservoir Operations and Planning, WaterSMART Grants, Title

XVI, WCFSP

Monitoring / Other Monitoring with NRCS, USGS, NOAA, LCCs, state water

agencies, HPPG for Climate Change, HPPG for Water

Conservation

Climate Change

• River Management Joint Operating Committee

climate change study completed in 2011

– Joint study by Reclamation, Bonneville Power

Administration, and the Corps of Engineers

– Climate and Hydrology conditions for future years

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Climate Change Projections

• Increased winter runoff, less spring/summer

runoff…..resulting in:

– Increased storage needs in the spring, greater

drawdown in summer months

– Increased reliance on stored water vs. natural flow

O N D J F M A M J J A S0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Monthly Mean Volume @

COLUMBIA RIVER AT THE DALLES (HD 2020s)

Volu

me,

MA

F

2000L

LW/W

MW/W

MC

C

LW/D

MW/D

O N D J F M A M J J A S0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Monthly Mean Volume @

COLUMBIA RIVER AT THE DALLES (HD 2040s)

Volu

me,

MA

F

2000L

LW/W

MW/W

MC

C

LW/D

MW/D

Increased

volumes earlier

in the year than

historical

Peak timing

shifted by one

month in some

projections

All observations

from 2020 are more

pronounced in the

2040s

Less volume in the

summer months –

increased reliance

on storage

Baseline

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Climate Change – Impacts on Power

70 Yr Avg Federal Generation

-

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

10,000

11,000

12,000

Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr I Apr II May Jun Jul Aug I Aug II Sep

Gen

(aM

W)

Study 21: Base Study 26 C: 2020s Study 32 C: 2040s

Study 24 LW/W: 2020s Study 34: MW/W: 2040s

Climate Change – Next Steps

• Continue to use refined data to better

understand impacts of climate change

• Continue to coordinate and share climate

change information with other Federal agencies

and regional stakeholders

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Meeting Infrastructure Needs

through Water Conservation

• WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America’s Resources for

Tomorrow)

– Water & Energy

Efficiency Grants

• Water Conservation

Field Services Program

WaterSMART - Water & Energy

Efficiency Grants

50/50 Cost-sharing for water

conservation infrastructure

projects

In the Northwest

• FY11 $8.34 million for 19 grants

• FY12 $4.19 million for 11 grants

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Water Conservation Field Services

Program

FY11 $1.32M for 29 grants to

Reclamation districts, estimated to

conserve 26,000 a-f annually

Yakima Basin Integrated Water

Resource Management Plan (YBIP)

• June 2009 – Yakima River Basin Water

Enhancement Project (YRBWEP) Working

Group was formed:

– Reclamation

– WA Dept of Ecology

– Yakama Nation

– Irrigation Districts

– Environmental Organizations

– Federal, State, County, and City governments

http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/cwp/YBIP.html

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YRBWEP Working Group

• Formed to help develop a consensus-based

solution to the Yakima basin’s water resource

needs

• Developed the Yakima River Basin Integrated

Water Resource Management Plan (Plan)

Climate Change – Yakima River Basin

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Yakima Basin Integrated Water

Resource Management Plan (YBIP)

• The Plan includes the following elements:

– Fish Passage

– Structural and Operational Changes

– Surface Water Storage

– Habitat and Watershed Protection

– Groundwater Storage

– Enhanced Water Conservation

– Market-Based Reallocation

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Fish Passage

• Restore access to habitat

above all basin reservoirs

• Provide upstream and

downstream passage to

salmon, bull trout, and

other fish

• Benefits of restoring fish passage:

– Increases anadromous species abundance

throughout the system

– Allows reintroduction of sockeye runs

– Provides greater genetic interchange for bull trout

and other native fish

– Helps fish cope with climate change impacts by

providing access to high quality habitat at higher

elevations

Fish Passage

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• Modify existing structures and operations to

improve flows, fish bypass, and smolt

outmigration:

– Keechelus to Kachess Pipeline

– Pipe selected irrigation laterals within

Kittitas Reclamation District

– Construct a re-regulation reservoir to

capture operational spills at Manastash

Creek

Structural & Operational Changes

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• Reduce diversions for power generation at

Roza and Chandler Dams to provide instream

flows for fish outmigration

• Wapatox Canal – pipe or replace lining;

consolidate diversions

• Raise maximum water level of Cle Elum Lake

by 3 feet to add 14,600 acre-feet and improve

instream flows

Structural & Operational Changes

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• Wymer Dam and Pump Station

– Construct a new dam and 162,500 a-f reservoir

– Provide fish flows, drought relief benefits

• Lake Kachess Inactive Storage - Pump

additional 200,000 acre-feet from inactive

storage for drought years

Surface Storage

• Bumping Lake Enlargement

– Construct new dam downstream from existing dam

for an additional 164,500 a-f storage.

– Provide carryover storage for irrigation, instream

flows, flood control

Surface Storage

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• Mainstem Enhancements: – Flow restoration through irrigation system improvements

– Fish barrier removal; restore fish passage in tributaries

– Screening of diversions

– Reconnect side channels and off-channel habitat to stream

channels

– Mainstem floodplain improvements – channel and habitat

restoration

– Toppenish Creek Corridor Restoration Project

Habitat / Watershed Protection &

Enhancement

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• Target key off-channel areas for land

acquisition actions for habitat enhancement

• Consider potential Wilderness and Wild and

Scenic River designations

Habitat / Watershed Protection &

Enhancement

• Use surface water to recharge aquifers and

store water for later use

– Aquifer Storage and Recovery - New aquifer

storage and recovery facility for City of Yakima

– Shallow Aquifer Recharge

• Diverts water into designed ground infiltration systems

(ponds, canals) during periods of excess runoff

• Proposed pilot-testing in Kittitas Reclamation District and

Wapato Irrigation Project (1-2 acres)

Groundwater Storage

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• Agricultural Conservation - up to 170,000 acre-

feet

– Line or pipe existing canals or laterals

– Construct re-regulation reservoirs

– Install higher efficiency sprinklers

– Reduce seepage, evaporation, and spills

Enhanced Water Conservation

• Municipal and Domestic Conservation

– Assess opportunities to improve efficiency for

residential, commercial, industrial, and urban

recreational uses

– Promote efficient landscape irrigation practices

– Expand education, incentives, and other measures

to encourage voluntary efficiency

– Establish best practice standards for accessing

new water supplies

Enhanced Water Conservation

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• Ecology and Reclamation issued a

Programmatic Environmental Impact (PEIS)

for the Plan March 2, 2012

• The PEIS serves as a framework for the plan.

Individual projects will each receive a more

specific environmental review

Status

Questions so far?

Study Manager – Wendy Christensen

Columbia/Cascades Area Office

Yakima, WA

509-575-5848

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• Reclamation and the Idaho Water Resources

Board signed an MOA in March 2011

• Study Framework

– Water Supply

– Water Management

– Environmental Quality

Henrys Fork (Snake River) Basin

Study

• Identifies and defines options for meeting

future water demands

• Considers the impacts of climate change

Basin Study – Definition

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• Four key components:

– Projections of future supply and demand

– Analysis of how the basin’s existing water and

power operations and infrastructure will perform in

the face of changing water realities (e.g. climate

change)

– Options to improve operations and infrastructure to

supply adequate water in the future

– Recommendations on how to optimize operations

and infrastructure

Basin Study – Components

• Evaluate water resources in the Henry’s Fork

basin to develop alternatives for improving

water supply conditions in the Eastern Snake

River Plain aquifer and Upper Snake basin

• Selected alternatives moved forward for a

reconnaissance level evaluation and more

comprehensive scoping and analysis

Henrys Fork Basin Study

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Henrys Fork Watershed Council

40+ Brainstorm Ideas

17 Reconnaissance Alternatives

Appraisal Alternative(s)

Recommendation(s)

Current Status

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• Existing and New Surface Storage

Opportunities

• Managed Groundwater Recharge

• Agricultural Conservation

• Municipal & Industrial Conservation

• Market Based Alternatives

Reconnaissance Alternatives

New Surface Storage Opportunities

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• Dam location sited in accordance with past

studies

• Storage volume ranges reflect water supply

source limitations

Storage Volumes

Locations of Dam Raise Alternatives

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• Two Recharge Alternatives

– Egin Lakes

– Teton Island

Managed Groundwater Recharge

• Canal Automation

• Demand Reduction

• Lining and Piping of

Canals

• Recharge Using

Existing Canals

• Conversion from Flood

to Sprinkler

Agricultural Conservation

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• Interim Report Due – October 2012 – Process & Stakeholder Involvement

– Water Needs

– Analysis of Reconnaissance Alternatives (Technical Memos)

– Selection of Reconnaissance Alternatives

– Formulation and Selection of Appraisal Alternatives

Henry’s Fork Basin Study – Next

Steps

Additional Questions?

Study Manager – Bob Schattin

Pacific Northwest Region

Boise, ID

208-378-5090