Application of IWRM Principles in Reclamation Planning

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Application of IWRM Principles in Reclamation
Planning
Levi Brekke, Reclamation Research Development
Office (Denver, CO) Acknowledgments Randy
Christopherson, Art Coykendall, Avra Morgan,
Christopher Perry, and Seshu Vaddey (Reclamation,
Denver, CO) AWRA Summer Specialty
Conference Integrated Water Resources Management
From Theory to Application Reno, NV, 1 July 2014
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Reclamation Mission
The mission of the Bureau of Reclamation is to
manage, develop, and protect water and related
resources in an environmentally and economically
sound manner in the interest of the American
public.
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348 Reservoirs, totaling roughly 300 km3 of water
storage
Greater than 25,000 km of canals
9 Billion annual agricultural benefits
Municipal water to more than 31 million people
58 Hydropower facilities powering over 6 million
homes
308 public recreation areas visited by more than
90 million people each year
More than 12 billion avoided flood damages since
1959
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Outline

• IWRM Principles and Processes
• Reclamation Key Planning Areas how IWRM is
  being applied
• Basin Studies
• Feasibility Studies (plus associated efforts)
• ESA Collaborative Programs
• Drought Response Planning
• Challenges and Opportunities

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IWRM Several Definitions

• Example CA Water Education Foundation
• IWRM is a collaborative effort to manage all
  aspects of water resources in a region. It is a
  consensus-based, cross-jurisdictional watershed
  approach that can help purveyors, planners,
  landowners, stakeholders and others develop plans
  to better manage their water resources.
  (Layperson's Guide to Integrated Regional Water
  Management, 2013, available at
  http//www.water.ca.gov/irwm/other_resources/publi
  cations.cfm)
• Variations
• GWP 2000, Bourget 2006, USACE 2010, AWRA 2011
• USACE 2010 and AWRA 2011 emphasize land-water
  nexus

Source AWRA 2012, Case Studies in Integrated
Water Resources Management From Local
Stewardship to National Vision
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IWRM Process

• Continuing Process, four key stages

• Ingredients for success
• legislation
• policies
• available resources for financing

Source AWRA 2012, Case Studies in Integrated
Water Resources Management From Local
Stewardship to National Vision
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IWRM Principles

• Manage Water Sustainably consider quantity and
  quality consider environment, social equity and
  economics
• Coordinate to support Integration -
  intergovernmental, between organizations, engage
  land use jurisdictions
• Encourage participation involve local public
  and stakeholders from all water use sectors
• Address Resources Interconnectedness consider
  larger geographic region or watershed, recognize
  interconnectedness of land and water, surface
  water and groundwater, water quantity and river
  quality, freshwater and coastal waters, rivers
  and the broader watershed, reservoir space use
  for flood control and water supply

Source AWRA 2012, Case Studies in Integrated
Water Resources Management From Local
Stewardship to National Vision
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Reclamations Mission is conducted through
several types of planning mapped to unique goals
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Basin Studies 22 funded since 2009

• 2009
• Colorado River Basin
• Milk/St. Mary Rivers Basin
• Yakima River Basin
• 2010
• Niobrara River Basin
• Truckee River Basin
• Santa Ana River Basin
• Henrys Fork of Snake River
• S.E. California Regional Basin
• 2011
• Lower Rio Grande River Basin
• Santa Fe Basin
• Klamath River Basin
• Hood River Basin
• 2012
• Upper Washita River Basin
• Sacramento-San Joaquin Rivers
• Republican River Basin

Information at http//www.usbr.gov/WaterSMART/bs
p/index.html
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Basin Study Example 1Henrys Fork of the Snake
River, ID

• Goal Identify climate change risks to water
  supply and demands
• Adaptation Identify and appraise strategies to
  mitigate risks
• e.g., storage, alternative water management
• Participants
• Fremont-Madison Irrigation District (FMID),
  Henrys Fork Foundation (HFF), Reclamation, Trout
  Unlimited, Native Trout Subcommittee (IDFG,
  HFF,USFS, FMID, FTR, Consultants, IDWR )
• Completed in 2014

Information at (http//www.usbr.gov/pn/programs/
studies/idaho/henrysfork/index.html) Contact
Lesa Stark (lstark_at_usbr.gov)
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application of IWRM principles

• (1) Manage Water Sustainability, (4) Address
  Resources Interconnectedness
• focus on water quantity for the watershed,
  addressing surface water and groundwater
  connections, with consideration for fish habitat,
  social equity, and economics
• (2) Coordinate / Support Integration, (3)
  Encourage participation
• collaboration among USBR, IWRB, Henrys Fork
  Watershed Council stakeholders helped develop
  set of alternatives to address multiple resource
  objectives
• Native Trout Subcommittee small workgroups
  developed alternatives, discussed analyses,
  evaluated processes
• Websites to engage and collect feedback from the
  public
• Connect with Federal, State local policies and
  programs

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Basin Study Example 2 Yakima River, WA

• Goal address climate change risks like other
  Basin Studies address contemporary issues of
  water adjudication, droughts/shortages, and
  anadromous fish sustainability
• Adaptation Use Basin Study to develop
  Integrated Water Resources Management Plan
  (IWRMP), with set of strategies
• Participants
• Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project
  (YRBWEP) workgroup members, including 3 Federal
  agencies, 3 State agencies, 11 local
  jurisdictions, Yakama Nation American Rivers
• Completed in 2011

Information at (http//www.usbr.gov/pn/programs/
yrbwep/2010workgroup/index.html) Contact
Wendy Christensen (gchristensen_at_usbr.gov)
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AWRA recognized the Yakima River Basin Water
Enhancement Project (YRBWEP) Workgroup with its
Integrated Water Resources Management Award for
2012
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Feasibility Studies

• Given
• proposed action that would alter water or related
  resource management
• e.g., new infrastructure, new management criteria
• Purpose
• develop informed recommendation to implement an
  action-alternative or take no federal action.
• Considerations
• satisfaction of objectives
• physical, environmental, economic and financial
  feasibility
• validity of scientific, technical and design
  assumptions
• ability to implement (reliability of cost
  schedule estimates, capability willingness of
  partners)

Study Requirements at http//www.usbr.gov/recman
/cmp/cmp09-02.pdf
Example Program Title XVI Water Reclamation
and Reuse (http//www.usbr.gov/WaterSMART/title/in
dex.html)
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Principles Requirements guide Feasibility
Studies, relate to IWRM

• Guiding Principles
• Healthy Resilient Ecosystems
• Sustainable Economic Development
• Floodplains
• Public Safety
• Environmental Justice
• Watershed Approach

• IWRM Concepts
• Manage Water Sustainably
• Coordinate to Support Integration
• Encourage Participation
• Address Resources Interconnectedness

2013 Principles and Requirements, draft
Interagency Guidelines at http//www.whitehouse.
gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/PandG
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Feasibility Study ExampleShasta Lake Water
Resources Investigation (Enlarged Shasta)

• Objectives
• Primary Anadromous fish survival, water supply
  reliability
• Secondary Ecosystem restoration, flood damage
  reduction, hydropower, recreation, water quality
• Action
• Raise dam, increase reservoir storage, relocate
  reservoir areas, protect/mitigate related
  resources
• Key Players
• Reclamation (Lead), USDA Forest Service, other
  cooperating agencies, Tribes and Local Community,
  Stakeholders
• Ongoing
• Draft Feasibility Report 2011
• Draft EIS 2013
• Final Feasibility Report EIS 2015

Information at (http//www.usbr.gov/mp/slwri/ind
ex.html) Contact Katrina Chow
(kchow_at_usbr.gov)
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application of IWRM Principles

• Manage Water Sustainably
• Alternatives were formulated to meet both primary
  objectives - water supply reliability and
  anadromous fish survival
• All alternatives provide benefits to anadromous
  fish survival, water supply reliability,
  ecosystem resources, reducing flood damage,
  increasing hydropower generation, water quality,
  and recreation
• Regional Economic Development and National
  Economic Development benefits evaluated in
  Feasibility Report
• Potential physical, biological, cultural, and
  socioeconomic effects of all comprehensive plans
  evaluated in EIS
• Environmental justice evaluated in EIS for all
  comprehensive plans
• Coordinate to support Integration
• Project Coordination Team Meetings w/ cooperating
  agencies
• Coordination of recreation plans with USFS
• Coordinated development of comprehensive
  mitigation plan with USFS, USFWS, BLM, USACE
• Review of key documents by cooperating agencies
  prior to public release

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application of IWRM Principles

• Encourage participation
• briefings for reservoir area stakeholders
• coordination/outreach to both Federally
  recognized and non-Federally recognized tribal
  groups
• coordination with Reclamation water contractors
• development of SLWRI Website Mailing List
• public outreach to support public release of
  draft EIS (DEIS)
• Provided DEIS in multiple formats - Mailed to
  entire Mailing List, posted to website,
  hardcopies in public locations across California
• Hosted Public workshops hearings
• Participated in radio interviews local City
  Council meetings
• Address Resources Interconnectedness
• Inclusion of primary extended study areas
• Primary Study Area Shasta Lake and tributaries
  Sacramento River below Shasta Dam to Red Bluff
• Extended Study Area - Sacramento River downstream
  from Red Bluff, the Delta, and CVP/SWP facilities
  and service areas
• Evaluated benefits and impacts to a broad range
  of resource areas in EIS, such as effects to
  groundwater and flows and water quality in the
  Sacramento River and Delta

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ESA Collaborative Programs

• Helps Reclamation maintain ESA Compliance
• Includes habitat maintenance and possibly river
  restoration
• Benefits multiple listed species
• Involve numerous water users and stakeholders
• Formal structure and decision-making

Information at (http//www.usbr.gov/river/)
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ESA Collaborative Program Example 1Federal
Columbia River Power System (FCRPS)

• Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS)
• 14 Federal multi-purpose dams
• Managed by three agencies for controlling floods,
  providing irrigation and navigation, protecting
  fish and wildlife, generating power, sustaining
  cultural resources . . .
• Works through the U.S. Canada Treaty to improve
  flows for listed salmon and steelhead in the U.S

• Federally listed salmon and steelhead
• Led to BiOp issued by NMFS Reasonable and
  Prudent Alternative includes hydrosystem
  improvements for salmon, habitat and hatchery
  improvements and predator control
• Extensive collaboration, including with the
  Federal Caucus, Fish Accord partners, several
  States, multiple tribes, and various stakeholders

Information at (http//www.usbr.gov/pn/fcrps/ind
ex.html and http//www.salmonrecovery.gov/Home.asp
x /) Contact Kate Puckett (kpuckett_at_usbr.gov)
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ESA Collaborative Program Example 2 San Juan
Basin Recovery Implementation Program

• Initiated in 1992 to conserve and recover two
  endangered fish species in the San Juan River
  basin while allowing water developments to
  proceed
• Program partners
• Jicarilla Apache Nation, Navajo Nation, Southern
  Ute Indian Tribe, State of Colorado, State of New
  Mexico, U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S.
  Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Bureau of
  Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ute
  Mountain Ute Indian Tribe, Water Development
  Interests in Colorado and New Mexico
• Established to protect and improve status of
  federally listed species while protecting
  existing and future water uses.
• All four IWRM principles are at play

Information at (http//www.fws.gov/southwest/sjr
ip/index.cfm) Contact Brent Uilenberg
(builenberg_at_usbr.gov)
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Drought Response Program

• Reclamations Drought program is being
  reformulated to
• incorporate climate change information
• build long-term resiliency
• prioritize planning efforts that are
  multi-disciplinary, collaborative, and more
  holistically address risk to multiple sectors
  (municipalities, agriculture, ecosystems).
• New Drought Response Program will begin
  implementation in FY 2015 (1.5M requested)

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Challenges

• Process distinguishment and benefits unclear
• Baseline? Planning without IWRM?
• Environmental compliance requirements are often
  challenging
• E.g., species recovery, adaptive management ?
  IWRM planning and implementation uncertainties
• No community of practice
• Common mandate isnt enough, need proper
  alignment of authorities and budgets
• E.g., Reclamation FWS face challenges trying to
  leverage resources through LCCs

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Opportunities

• Seek better alignment of interagency programs
  budgets within authorities and mandates
• Support post-analysis of process benefits,
  engaging social, economic, and political science
  communities
• Encourage peer agencies to conduct maturity
  assessments of their IWRM processes
• identify the workflow and stages, potential
  maturities by stage, common deficiencies and
  aspirations
• results might inform community science
  application efforts

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Contacts

• Basin Studies
• Seshu Vaddey (svaddey_at_usbr.gov)
• ESA Collaborative Programs
• Art Coykendall (acoykendall_at_usbr.gov)
• Feasibility Studies
• Chris Perry (cperry_at_usbr.gov)
• Randy Christopherson (rchistopherson_at_usbr.gov)
• Drought Response Program
• Avra Morgan (aomorgan_at_usbr.gov)