Water in California: Self-induced Scarcity

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Water in California Self-induced Scarcity

• Waterscape International Group

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Perceptions

• Do you think California is a drought prone state?
  Why?
• What is the most pressing water quality or
  quantity dilemma?
• What scales of analysis are useful for
  understanding water in California?
• How can we measure the effect of water diversions
  on ecosystems?
• What groups should have the burden of meeting
  water needs?
• What technological fixes might help reduce
  scarcity?

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Objective

• California is well-endowed with water, yet faces
  shortages.
• Why?
• How can this be remedied?
• How does this relate to environmental science?

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Overview

• Natural Setting of California
• Water Use in the State
• Water Distribution (Central Valley and State
  Water Projects)
• Roots of Scarcity
• Quality Intermingled
• Options for the Future

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Part 1

• The Natural Setting

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Map-Shaded Relief of California
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Map-Annual Precipitation
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Map-Major River Systems
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Map-Ground water Basins
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Part 2

• Water Use in California

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Urban Surface Water Consumption
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Urban Groundwater Consumption
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Irrigation Surface Water Use
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Irrigation Groundwater Use
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Agricultural and Urban Water Use Statistics

• Domestic consumption of groundwater surface
  water 3 MAF and 3 MAF, respectively.
• Agricultural consumption of groundwater surface
  water 12.2 MAF and 19.5 MAF, respectively.

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Map-Agricultural Land in California
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Map-Central Valley Project
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Central Valley Project Facts

• 400 miles, from the Cascade Mountains near
  Redding to the Tehachapi Mountains near
  Bakersfield
• 20 dams and reservoirs, 11 powerplants, and 500
  miles of major canals
• 9 million acre-feet of water annually managed
• Annually delivers about 7 million acre-feet
• 5 million acre-feet for farms
• 600,000 acre-feet for municipal use
• 5.6 billion kilowatt hours of electricity (2
  million people)
• 800,000 acre-feet per year to fish and wildlife
  and their habitat and 410,00 acre-feet to State
  and Federal wildlife refuges and wetlands (CVPIA,
  1992)

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Map-State Water Project
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State Water Project Facts

• 1973-Store water and distribute it to 29 urban
  and agricultural water suppliers in Northern
  California, the San Francisco Bay Area, the San
  Joaquin Valley, and Southern California.
• Water quality in the Delta, control Feather River
  flood waters, provide recreation, and enhance
  fish and wildlife.
• 32 storage facilities, reservoirs and lakes 17
  pumping plants 3 pumping-generating plants 5
  hydroelectric power plants and about 660 miles
  of open canals and pipelines.
• Supplemental water to approximately 20 million
  Californians and about 660,000 acres of irrigated
  farmland.

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All Water Projects
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Consequences

• What are some of the consequences for the
  environment of this distribution system?

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Part 3

• Factors complicating the allocation of water
  among agricultural, domestic, and environmental
  uses

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The Problem 7 Reasons to Worry

• Water allocation system is inflexible
• Population Growth
• Federal Endangered Species Act
• Federal Clean Water Act
• Colorado River 4.4 MAF
• Normal Climate Variability
• Long-term Climate Variability

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Water Allocation

• California Doctrine (Appropriation and Riparian
  Rights)
• Permits to surface water
• Permits to groundwater

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Population Growth
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Federal Regulations

• Clean Water Act
• Section 303(d) Total Maximum Daily Loads for
  impaired waters
• Source Water Protection
• Endangered Species Act
• Critical habitat protections
• Salmon

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Climate Variability

• Normal climate variability
• Anthropogenic climate forcing

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The Result

• Need more water for regulatory purposes
• Difficult to adjust allocations
• Groundwater is not permitted or even accounted
• Et increased due to irrigation?flow
  decreased?reduced assimilative capacity

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Part 4

• Case Study Selenium Toxicity at Kesterson
  Reservoir

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Map-Kesterson
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Diablo Range
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Map-Fans
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Drainage Patterns
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Bio
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Part 5

• Options

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Improve Allocation

• Demand side
• Water Transfers (land retirement)
• Efficiency
• Supply
• Surface water storage
• Groundwater storage (conjunctive use)
• Desalinization

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Water quality

• Real-time monitoring?assimilative capacity
• Irrigation changes
• Drain

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Closing Thoughts

• Other topics-Quality
• Water-rich landscape
• Integrated system
• Hydrology-ecology interface
• SW-GW interactions
• Quality and quality connections
• Increasing demands
• Longer-term planning

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References

• Department of Water Resources (1998). California
  Water Plan 160-98.
• Letey, J (1986). An Agricultural Dilemma
  Drainage Disposal in the San Joaquin Valley.