Inflation Reduction Act of 2022

United States Congress | August 6th, 2022

Click "get document" for the entire bill. Scroll below to see its drought relief amendment.

Click "get document" for the entire bill. Scroll below to see its drought relief amendment.

Integrated Coastal Groundwater Monitoring Program and Plan

Monterey County Water Resources Agency (MCWRA) | May 19th, 2019

California American Water Company (CalAm) is working to increase sustainability of their water supply portfolio to meet the long-term needs of customers in their

California American Water Company (CalAm) is working to increase sustainability of their water supply portfolio to meet the long-term needs of customers in their service area on the Monterey Peninsula. Accordingly, CalAm has proposed the Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project (MPWSP). The MPWSP includes a desalination plant, distribution pipelines, aquifer storage and recovery and in-lieu use of desalinated water. Feedwater for the desalination plant would be from a seawater intake system consisting of slant wells constructed into the shallow aquifers at the coastal margin of the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin (SVGB). The objective of the MPWSP is to meet CalAm’s long-term water demands and comply with state imposed regulatory requirements1. A MPWSP Test Slant Wells Study (HWG, 2017) was conducted to evaluate project effects and support preparation of a draft and Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIR/EIS) (ESA, 2017). CalAm has received a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity CPCN) for the MPWSP from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)2. The EIR/EIS supported the CPUC decision. This document presents a proposed Coastal Monitoring Plan (Monitoring Plan) to continue observing the MPWSP effects, if any, on the SVGB.

Integrated Water Availability in the Conterminous United States, 2010–20, Chapter F of U.S. Geological Survey Integrated Water Availability Assessment—2010–20

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | January 15th, 2025

The following are the key points of this chapter:  At the national scale, water supply is much higher than human demand, but regions with lower water supply show sm

The following are the key points of this chapter:  At the national scale, water supply is much higher than human demand, but regions with lower water supply show smaller differences and greater potential for imbalances in supply relative to demand. Eight percent of the conterminous United States (CONUS) population (26.7 million people) live in areas with chronic stress from water-supply and use imbalances. The Southern High Plains, Texas, Central High Plains, and Mississippi Embayment hydrologic regions had the most widespread coverage of 12 digit hydrologic unit code (HUC12) watersheds with water stress from supply-use limitations. Several fish species of conservation concern have large proportions of their habitat range in areas with chronic imbalances between surface-water supply and human use. Streams with elevated nutrient concentrations greater than reference conditions were widespread across the CONUS. Limitation of ecological water availability occurred even in humid areas of the CONUS without water-supply and use imbalances, primarily because of flow alterations associated with urban areas, other land uses, and water-management and infrastructure. The California–Nevada, Southwest Desert, Central High Plains, Southern High Plains, Texas, Mississippi Embayment, and Florida hydrologic regions showed high or severe stress in multiple aspects of water availability. A high proportion of the population living in areas with water-availability limitations are considered to be socially vulnerable, although this is a small percentage of the total CONUS population. Companion chapters: U.S. Geological Survey Integrated Water Availability Assessment—2010–20, Chapter A Water Supply in the Conterminous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, Water Years 2010–20, Chapter B Status of Water-Quality Conditions in the United States, 2010–20, Chapter C  Water Use Across the Conterminous United States, Water Years 2010–20, Chapter D  Climate Change and Future Water Availability in the United States, Chapter E   

Inter-Basin Transfers Extend the Benefits of Water From Forests to Population Centers Across the Conterminous U.S.

American Geophysical Union (AGU) | May 12th, 2022

Clean water from forests is commonly used to supply drinking water to communities both within and outside basin boundaries through inter-basin transfers (IBTs). Here, we

Clean water from forests is commonly used to supply drinking water to communities both within and outside basin boundaries through inter-basin transfers (IBTs). Here, we modified the Water Supply Stress Index (WaSSI) model to provide estimates of mean water yield and the proportion of mean flow originating on forested lands at the 12-Digit Hydrologic Unit Code scale across the conterminous United States (CONUS). We accounted for the benefits of forests for drinking water supply and receiving populations through IBTs by incorporating a new IBT database, surface intake location information for public drinking water systems, and modeled water yield from forests. We compiled the new database of 594 IBTs ranging from 0.01 million m3 yr−1 to 8,900 million m3 yr−1, for a total transferred volume of 116,894 million m3 yr−1. According to our results, forested lands comprised 28.7% of the total land area across CONUS, but contributed 46% of the total surface water yield. Approximately 125.5 million people derived more than 10% of their surface drinking water supply from forested lands, and 83.1 million people received more than 50% of their surface drinking water supply from forested lands. Of those 83.1 million people receiving more than 50% of their surface drinking water supply from forested lands, 19.4 million people obtained some (≥0.01%) of that water through IBTs. We conclude that accounting for IBTs is critical to accurately assess the contribution of forested watersheds for surface drinking water supply. Hydrologic models for assessment and decision making must include IBTs to fully account for the effects of climate change and human population dynamics on water resource availability at watershed to regional scales. Results from this study can aid water resource and forest managers in developing integrated watershed management plans at a time when climate change, population growth, and land use change threaten water supplies.

Interactions between snow cover and evaporation lead to higher sensitivity of streamflow to temperature

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | December 4th, 2020

Estimates of potential evaporation often neglect the effects of snow cover on evaporation process. Here, we present a definition of potential evaporation that explicitly

Estimates of potential evaporation often neglect the effects of snow cover on evaporation process. Here, we present a definition of potential evaporation that explicitly accounts for landscapes that are partially covered by snow. We show that, in the presence of snowpack, our evaporation estimates differ from conventional methods that assume evaporation from a free water surface. Specifically, we find that conventional methods overestimate potential evaporation as well as aridity, taken as the ratio of atmospheric water demand to supply, in landscapes where snowfall is significant. With dwindling snow-cover, actual aridity increases, which could explain the reduction in streamflow with decreasing snowfall. We suggest that streamflow, and hence water availability, is more sensitive to temperature changes in colder than in warmer regions.

Interbasin Ground-Water Flow in Southern Nevada

Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology | March 1st, 1974

Interbasin water transfers in the United States and Canada

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | January 13th, 2023

Interbasin water transfers (IBTs) can have a significant impact on the environment, water availability, and economies within the basins importing and exporting water, as

Interbasin water transfers (IBTs) can have a significant impact on the environment, water availability, and economies within the basins importing and exporting water, as well as basins downstream of these water transfers. The lack of comprehensive data identifying and describing IBTs inhibits understanding of the role IBTs play in supplying water for society, as well as their collective hydrologic impact. We develop three connected datasets inventorying IBTs in the United States and Canada, including their features, geospatial details, and water transfer volumes. We surveyed the academic and gray literature, as well as local, state, and federal water agencies, to collect, process, and verify IBTs in Canada and the United States. Our comprehensive IBT datasets represent all known transfers of untreated water that cross subregion (US) or subdrainage area (CA) boundaries, characterizing a total of 641 IBT projects. The infrastructure-level data made available by these data products can be used to close water budgets, connect water supplies to water use, and better represent human impacts within hydrologic and ecosystem models.

Investigating Runoff Efficiency in Upper Colorado River Streamflow Over Past Centuries

American Geophysical Union (AGU) | January 5th, 2018

With increasing concerns about the impact of warming temperatures on water resources, more attention is being paid to the relationship between runoff and precipitat

With increasing concerns about the impact of warming temperatures on water resources, more attention is being paid to the relationship between runoff and precipitation, or runoff efficiency. Temperature is a key influence on Colorado River runoff efficiency, and warming temperatures are projected to reduce runoff efficiency. Here, we investigate the nature of runoff efficiency in the upper Colorado River (UCRB) basin over the past 400 years, with a specific focus on major droughts and pluvials, and to contextualize the instrumental period. We first verify the feasibility of reconstructing runoff efficiency from tree‐ring data. The reconstruction is then used to evaluate variability in runoff efficiency over periods of high and low flow, and its correspondence to a reconstruction of late runoff season UCRB temperature variability. Results indicate that runoff efficiency has played a consistent role in modulating the relationship between precipitation and streamflow over past centuries, and that temperature has likely been the key control. While negative runoff efficiency is most common during dry periods, and positive runoff efficiency during wet years, there are some instances of positive runoff efficiency moderating the impact of precipitation deficits on streamflow. Compared to past centuries, the 20th century has experienced twice as many high flow years with negative runoff efficiency, likely due to warm temperatures. These results suggest warming temperatures will continue to reduce runoff efficiency in wet or dry years, and that future flows will be less than anticipated from precipitation due to warming temperatures.

Irrigation Water Use in the Central Valley of California

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | January 1st, 1985

Just the Facts: Land, Water, and Agriculture in the Colorado River Basin

Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy (Babbitt Center) | March 1st, 2022