Definition of Status Quo

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Definition of Status Quo

• The Status Quo describes existing or
  anticipated conditions of a water resources
  system if policies, system
  configurations, regulations,
  and management strategies
  remain unchanged.

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Defining the Status Quo Requires

• A shared understanding of the physical,
  technical, regulatory, management, and policy
  attributes of the system
• A statement of important problems facing the
  region
• Identification of uncertainties and discrepancies
  in information and policies
• A common vocabulary for future discussion

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When the Status Quo is Defined

• Managers and stakeholders develop a shared
  understanding of system attributes and management
  concerns.

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Once the status quo is established it is used to

• Confirm the appropriateness of planning
  objectives
• Identify constraints to planning alternatives
• Establish a baseline for comparison with proposed
  alternatives

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Status Quo for Tactical and
Strategic Plans

• Tactical Plans define the status quo in terms of
  existing conditions
• Strategic Plans use long-term forecasts to
  describe future conditions

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The Process of Defining the Status Quo
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Activities in Defining the Status Quo

• Perform a facility inventory, a resource
  inventory, a legal, policy, economics, management
  and demand inventory
• Resolve conflicting information and data gaps
• Develop a Shared Vision Model to develop an
  integrated expression of your systems
  performance
• Examine system performance under different
  hydrologic scenarios

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Components of a Facilities Inventory

• Reservoirs
• Distribution facilities
• Treatment plants
• Diversions
• Water-related structures such as boat ramps,
  locks
• Pumping facilities

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Components of a Resources
Inventory
Fish and Wildlife
Hydrology/Climate
Water Quality
Important species
Unregulated streamflow
Existing water quality
Endangered species
Data
Fish and wildlife needs
Gauging station locations
(at different life stages)
Local inflows
Sedimentation and scour areas
Precipitation
Snowpack
Types of effluent discharged
Evaporation
Temperature
Groundwater resources
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Components of a Legal Inventory

• Authorized project purposes
• Existing water rights and priorities
• Instream flow requirements
• Water quality regulations

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Components of a Management Inventory

• Operating policies
• Rule curves
• Triggering mechanisms

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Components of a Policy Inventory

• Management preferences
• Societal preferences
• Political concerns

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Components of an Economic Inventory

• Facility costs
• Recreational benefits
• Marginal cost pricing
• Benefit/Cost analysis

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Components of a Demand Inventory

• Water uses (instream, offstream, consumptive,
  non-consumptive)
• Demand levels
• Forecasted demand levels
• Demand patterns
• Driving factors
• Cost of water
• Conservation strategies
• Curtailment measures
• Revenue generated

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Choice of Hydrological Data in Status Quo Analysis

• Evaluation of the status quo requires
  understanding of the average performance of a
  system as well as its performance under extreme
  conditions
• Good hydrologic data is essential for these
  assessments

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Options for Short
Hydrologic Records

• If hydrologic records are short
• Accept historic data set and acknowledge
  uncertainty
• Use data set from a
  region with similar
  characteristics
• Develop synthetic data

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Pros and Cons of
Design Droughts and Floods

• Use of a Design Drought
• Pros
• Represents a sequence of events that has actually
  occurred
• Impacts may be tangible to managers and
  stakeholders

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Pros and Cons of
Design Droughts and Floods

• Cons
• Will not reoccur in the future
• A more severe drought may be possible
• May provide region with a false sense
  of security
• Does not provide information on
  overall system performance

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Summary

• Managers and stakeholders must work to establish
  a collectively endorsed vision of the status quo.
• The status quo acts as a baseline for the
  comparison of alternatives.
• Shared vision models are used to assess
  cumulative impacts of the status quo.
• Hydrologic data sets should be carefully chosen
  when defining the status quo.

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Exercise