Economic consequences of optimized water management for a prolonged, severe drought in California

American Geophysical Union (AGU) | May 21st, 2010

If abrupt climate change has occurred in the past and may be more likely under human forcing, it is relevant to look at the adaptability of current infrastructure system

If abrupt climate change has occurred in the past and may be more likely under human forcing, it is relevant to look at the adaptability of current infrastructure systems to severe conditions of the recent past. Geologic evidence suggests two extreme droughts in California during the last few thousand years, each 120–200 years long, with mean annual streamflows 40%–60% of the historical mean. This study synthesized a 72-year drought with half of mean historical inflows using random sampling of historical dry years. One synthetic hydrological record is used, and sensitivity to different interpretations of the paleo record is not evaluated. Economic effects and potential adaptation of California’s water supply system in 2020 to this drought is explored using a hydro-economic optimization model. The model considers how California could respond to such an extreme drought using water trading and provides best‐case estimates of economic costs and effects on water operations and demands. Results illustrate the ability of extensive, intertied, and flexible water systems with heterogeneous water demands to respond to severe stress. The study follows a different approach to climate change impact studies, focusing on past climate changes from the paleorecord rather than downscaled general circulation model results to provide plausible hydrologic scenarios. Adaptations suggested for the sustained drought are similar for dry forms of climate warming in California and are expensive but not catastrophic for the overall economy but would impose severe burdens on the agricultural sector and environmental water uses.

Economic Incentives— Loans, Grants, and Water Pricing (Resource Management Strategy)

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | July 29th, 2016

Economic incentives include financial assistance, water pricing, and water market policies intended to influence water management. Economic incentives can influence the a

Economic incentives include financial assistance, water pricing, and water market policies intended to influence water management. Economic incentives can influence the amount and time of water use, wastewater volume, and source of water supply. Examples of economic incentives include low interest loans, grants, and water rates and rate structures. Free services, rebates, and the use of tax revenues to partially fund water services also have a direct effect on the prices paid by water users. Government financial assistance can provide incentives for integrated resource plans by regional and local agencies. Also, government financial assistance can help water suppliers make incentives available to their water users for a specific purpose. Assistance programs can also help align the economic and financial drivers affecting local, regional, and statewide water management decisions to minimize unintended consequences and maximize the benefits of working cooperatively with consistent goals and objectives. As opposed to incentives, penalties are a type of economic disincentive that can be used to discourage undesirable water use behavior. Incentives can be created or enhanced by facilitating water market transfers, by creating market opportunities where they did not exist, by expanding opportunities where they currently exist, or by reducing market transaction costs. In each case, new or enhanced market opportunities can influence water management decisions.

Economics of a State Water Resources Program

Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) | July 9th, 1957

Emergency Drought Barriers

Delta Stewardship Council (Delta Council) | April 26th, 2022

Energy and water co-benefits from covering canals with solar panels

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | March 18th, 2021

Solar power development over canals is an emerging response to the energy–water–food nexus that can result in multiple benefits for water and energy infrastructure. C

Solar power development over canals is an emerging response to the energy–water–food nexus that can result in multiple benefits for water and energy infrastructure. Case studies of over-canal solar photovoltaic arrays have demonstrated enhanced photovoltaic performance due to the cooler microclimate next to the canal. In addition, shade from the photovoltaic panels has been shown to mitigate evaporation and potentially mitigate aquatic weed growth. However, the evaporation savings and financial co-benefits have not been quantified across major canal systems. Here we use regional hydrologic and techno-economic simulations of solar photovoltaic panels covering California’s 6,350 km canal network, which is the world’s largest conveyance system and covers a wide range of climates, insolation rates and water costs. We find that over-canal solar could reduce annual evaporation by an average of 39 ± 12 thousand m3 per km of canal. Furthermore, the financial benefits from shading the canals outweigh the added costs of the cable-support structures required to span the canals. The net present value of over-canal solar exceeds conventional overground solar by 20–50%, challenging the convention of leaving canals uncovered and calling into question our understanding of the most economic locations for solar power.

Enlarging Shasta Lake: Total Water Management Strategy for the Central Valley Basin, California

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) | November 1st, 1978

Enlargement of Shasta Lake, possibly up to three or four times its present size of 4,552,000 acre-feet, is one of the limited number of possibilities for increasing the

Enlargement of Shasta Lake, possibly up to three or four times its present size of 4,552,000 acre-feet, is one of the limited number of possibilities for increasing the future water and hydropower supply for the Central Valley Basin and other areas in California. To compare the costs and impacts of this possibility on the environment and the economy with those of other alternatives would require further appraisal and feasibility studies. There are current overdrafts on ground water in the San Joaquin Valley, a shortage of water in the State Water Project, problems of maintaining water quality in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and water-related fish resource problems from Shasta through the Delta. The severity of the 1976-77 drought was greatly alleviated by the interim supplies made available from the Federal Central Valley and the State Water Projects. However, in the future, when these projects reach their designed capabilities, these interim supplies will not be available. If studies were begun now, it would probably be a minimum of 20 years before an enlarged Shasta Lake could be placed in operation.

Equity in Stormwater Investments: Measuring Community Engagement and Disadvantaged Community Benefits for Equitable Impact in the Safe Clean Water Program

Publisher not available | August 4th, 2022

The Safe, Clean Water Program (SCWP) reflects the will of the voters of Los Angeles County, who approved Measure W in 2018 by close to 70%. The ballot measure established

The Safe, Clean Water Program (SCWP) reflects the will of the voters of Los Angeles County, who approved Measure W in 2018 by close to 70%. The ballot measure established a perpetual parcel tax “to fund projects and programs to increase stormwater capture and reduce stormwater and urban runoff pollution” in Los Angeles County “to increase water supply, improve water quality, and, where appropriate, provide community enhancements such as the greening of schools, parks, and wetlands, and increased public access to rivers, lakes, and streams.” In an ordinance implementing the Safe Clean Water Program, the county Board of Supervisors included provisions to prioritize equity in implementation and affirmed an intention to address inequity in infrastructure in August 2021. Those provisions gave rise to this report, which provides advice drawn from research and stakeholder engagement to the Los Angeles County Flood Control District (LACFCD) for measuring community engagement and Disadvantaged Community Benefits to better achieve the equitable impact sought by the SCWP. As part of a broader SCWP Metrics and Monitoring Study (MMS) commissioned by the LACFCD, we were charged with conducting research, consulting with stakeholders, and giving advice to the SCWP for metrics to measure community engagement and Disadvantaged Community Benefits.

Escalating Hydrological Extremes and Whiplashes in the Western U.S.: Challenges for Water Management and Frontline Communities

American Geophysical Union (AGU) | May 14th, 2025

Exit here: Strategies for dealing with aging dams and reservoirs

Aquatic Sciences (Springer) | October 22nd, 2019

Aging infrastructure is prevalent throughout the world, but water control management structures, specifically dams, are of growing concern. Dams and their corresponding r

Aging infrastructure is prevalent throughout the world, but water control management structures, specifically dams, are of growing concern. Dams and their corresponding reservoirs have inherent, but separate, lifespans. The proportion of dams around the world that continue operation beyond their intended lifespans is growing at an alarming rate. Society will not only have to navigate the tradeoffs associated with the deterioration of services provided by reservoirs and dams, but also impending structural failures. Society is nearing a critical pinch point where we will have to decide how to deal with dams and reservoirs at scales that range from a single system to multiple systems in large watersheds. No comprehensive strategy exists to inform both the range of actions that can be applied to such infrastructure and how such actions would influence biophysical, socioeconomic, and geopolitical tradeoffs. The development of proactive exit strategies is a critical first step in ensuring controlled transitions for aging dams and reservoirs. Herein, we present an overview of actions and considerations for aging dams and reservoirs, followed by an initial framework for exit strategy development to launch a further discussion on how society could deal with this aging infrastructure.

Finishing the All-American Canal

Scientific American | September 1st, 2020

Work on the All-American Canal is going forward so rapidly that the great 80-mile ditch and its appurtenant features will be ready to de­liver irrigation water to the Im

Work on the All-American Canal is going forward so rapidly that the great 80-mile ditch and its appurtenant features will be ready to de­liver irrigation water to the Imperial Valley in southeastern California some time during the first half of 1938. The waterway is being dug across a normally desert region that once formed the wa­ter bed of the prehistoric northern ex­tension of the Gulf of California, as we know it today. Paradoxically, that far­ flung section of the Gulf was transform­ ed into a generally barren and arid region by the very river that is to be tapped to assure the continued agricul­tural productivity · of soil that can be made amazingly fruitful by irrigation.