Evaluating Collaborative Institutions in Context: The Case of Regional Water Management in Southern California

Sage Journals | January 1st, 2014

Regional collaborative institutions are seen as tools for improving collaboration and for reducing the inefficiency of fragmented management and planning. However, recent

Regional collaborative institutions are seen as tools for improving collaboration and for reducing the inefficiency of fragmented management and planning. However, recent research has shown that the ability of new regional institutions to achieve these aims is contingent upon their relationship to the existing institutional landscape. This paper uses network analyses of six newly created Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) subregions in southern California to examine how their introduction intersects existing water management systems and whether the patterns of interaction in water planning have changed as a result. The results further our understanding of collaborative governance and regionalism by showing that the ability of regional institutions to facilitate new interactions can vary widely across a given institutional landscape. Further, while IRWM has helped to strengthen the water management network in southern California, it has not replaced existing watershed planning efforts. Interviews with water managers reveal there is support for IRWM but it is still too early to evaluate its effectiveness. Further research should explore the drivers and consequences of heterogeneity in IRWM and whether the incentives for participation are sufficient.

Fragmented Flows: Water Supply in Los Angeles County

Environmental Management (Springer) | May 12th, 2016

In the Los Angeles metropolitan region, nearly 100 public and private entities are formally involved in the management and distribution of potable water—a legacy rooted

In the Los Angeles metropolitan region, nearly 100 public and private entities are formally involved in the management and distribution of potable water—a legacy rooted in fragmented urban growth in the area and late 19th century convictions about local control of services. Yet, while policy debates focus on new forms of infrastructure, restructured pricing mechanisms, and other technical fixes, the complex institutional architecture of the present system has received little attention. In this paper, we trace the development of this system, describe its interconnections and disjunctures, and demonstrate the invisibility of water infrastructure in LA in multiple ways—through mapping, statistical analysis, and historical texts. Perverse blessings of past water abundance led to a complex, but less than resilient, system with users accustomed to cheap, easily accessible water. We describe the lack of transparency and accountability in the current system, as well as its shortcomings in building needed new infrastructure and instituting new water rate structures. Adapting to increasing water scarcity and likely droughts must include addressing the architecture of water management.

From wastewater treatment plants to decentralized resource factories

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | June 10th, 2024

Funding Opportunity for Voluntary Participation in the Lower Colorado Conservation and Efficiency Program

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) | October 12th, 2022

Geohydrology of the Parker-Blythe-Cibola Area, Arizona and California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 16th, 1973

The Parker-Blythe-Cibola area, as defined in this report, extends from the bedrock narrows north of Parker, Ariz., southward for about 85 miles along the valley of the Co

The Parker-Blythe-Cibola area, as defined in this report, extends from the bedrock narrows north of Parker, Ariz., southward for about 85 miles along the valley of the Colorado River to the bedrock narrows below Cibola, Ariz. The area is about midway between Hoover Dam and the Gulf of California. It includes parts of Yuma County, Ariz., and Imperial, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties, Calif.

Global water resources and the role of groundwater in a resilient water future

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | January 31st, 2023

Water is a critical resource, but ensuring its availability faces challenges from climate extremes and human intervention. In this Review, we evaluate the current and his

Water is a critical resource, but ensuring its availability faces challenges from climate extremes and human intervention. In this Review, we evaluate the current and historical evolution of water resources, considering surface water and groundwater as a single, interconnected resource. Total water storage trends have varied across regions over the past century. Satellite data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) show declining, stable and rising trends in total water storage over the past two decades in various regions globally. Groundwater monitoring provides longer-term context over the past century, showing rising water storage in northwest India, central Pakistan and the northwest United States, and declining water storage in the US High Plains and Central Valley. Climate variability causes some changes in water storage, but human intervention, particularly irrigation, is a major driver. Water-resource resilience can be increased by diversifying management strategies. These approaches include green solutions, such as forest and wetland preservation, and grey solutions, such as increasing supplies (desalination, wastewater reuse), enhancing storage in surface reservoirs and depleted aquifers, and transporting water. A diverse portfolio of these solutions, in tandem with managing groundwater and surface water as a single resource, can address human and ecosystem needs while building a resilient water system.

Ground-Water Hydrology of the Upper Klamath Basin, Oregon and California

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | April 15th, 2010

The upper Klamath Basin spans the California-Oregon border from the flank of the Cascade Range eastward to the Basin and Range Province, and encompasses the Klamath River

The upper Klamath Basin spans the California-Oregon border from the flank of the Cascade Range eastward to the Basin and Range Province, and encompasses the Klamath River drainage basin above Iron Gate Dam. Most of the basin is semiarid, but the Cascade Range and uplands in the interior and eastern parts of the basin receive on average more than 30 inches of precipitation per year. The basin has several perennial streams with mean annual discharges of hundreds of cubic feet per second, and the Klamath River at Iron Gate Dam, which represents drainage from the entire upper basin, has a mean annual discharge of about 2,100 cubic feet per second. The basin once contained three large lakes: Upper and Lower Klamath Lakes and Tule Lake, each of which covered areas of 100 to 150 square miles, including extensive marginal wetlands. Lower Klamath Lake and Tule Lake have been mostly drained, and the former lake beds are now cultivated. Upper Klamath Lake remains, and is an important source of irrigation water. Much of the wetland surrounding Upper Klamath Lake has been diked and drained, although efforts are underway to restore large areas. Upper Klamath Lake and the remaining parts of Lower Klamath and Tule Lakes provide important wildlife habitat, and parts of each are included in the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges Complex. The upper Klamath Basin has a substantial regional ground-water flow system. The late Tertiary to Quaternary volcanic rocks that underlie the region are generally permeable, with transmissivity estimates ranging from 1,000 to 100,000 feet squared per day, and compose a system of variously interconnected aquifers. Interbedded with the volcanic rocks are late Tertiary sedimentary rocks composed primarily of fine-grained lake sediments and basin-filling deposits. These sedimentary deposits have generally low permeability, are not good aquifers, and probably restrict ground-water movement in some areas. The regional ground-water system is underlain and bounded on the east and west by older Tertiary volcanic and sedimentary rocks that have generally low permeability. Eight regional-scale hydrogeologic units are defined in the upper Klamath Basin on the basis of surficial geology and subsurface data. Ground water flows from recharge areas in the Cascade Range and upland areas in the basin interior and eastern margins toward stream valleys and interior subbasins. Ground water discharges to streams throughout the basin, and most streams have some component of ground water (baseflow). Some streams, however, are predominantly ground-water fed and have relatively constant flows throughout the year. Large amounts of ground water discharge in the Wood River subbasin, the lower Williamson River area, and along the margin of the Cascade Range. Much of the inflow to Upper Klamath Lake can be attributed to ground-water discharge to streams and major spring complexes within a dozen or so miles from the lake. This large component of ground water buffers the lake somewhat from climate cycles. There are also ground-water discharge areas in the eastern parts of the basin, for example in the upper Williamson and Sprague River subbasins and in the Lost River subbasin at Bonanza Springs. Irrigated agriculture is an integral part of the economy of the upper Klamath Basin. Although estimates vary somewhat, roughly 500,000 acres are irrigated in the upper Klamath Basin, about 190,000 acres of which are part of the Bureau of Reclamation Klamath Project. Most of this land is irrigated with surface water. Ground water has been used for many decades to irrigate areas where surface water is not available, for example outside of irrigation districts and stream valleys. Ground water has also been used as a supplemental source of water in areas where surface water supplies are limited and during droughts. Ground water use for irrigation has increased in recent years due to drought and shifts in surface-water allocation from irrigation to instream uses. The shifts in surface-water allocation have resulted from efforts to improve habitat for fish listed under the Federal Endangered Species Act. The ground-water system in the upper Klamath Basin responds to external stresses such as climate cycles, pumping, lake stage variations, and canal operation. This response is manifest as fluctuations in hydraulic head (as represented by fluctuations in the water-table surface) and variations in ground-water discharge to springs. Basinwide, decadal-scale climate cycles are the largest factor controlling head and discharge fluctuations. Climate-driven water-table fluctuations of more than 12 feet have been observed near the Range, and decadal-scale fluctuations of 5 feet are common throughout the basin. Ground-water discharge to springs and streams varies basinwide in response to decadal-scale climate cycles. The response of the ground-water system to pumping is generally largest in areas where pumping occurs. Annual drawdown and recovery cycles of 1 to 10 feet are common in pumping areas. Long-term drawdown effects, where the water table has reached or is attempting to reach a new level in equilibrium with the pumping, are apparent in parts of the basin. Since 2001, ground-water use in the upper Klamath Basin has increased by about 50 percent. Much of this increase has occurred in the area in and around the Bureau of Reclamation Klamath Project, roughly tripling ground-water pumping in that area. This focused increase in pumping has resulted in ground-water level declines in the pumped aquifer in excess of 10 to 15 feet over a large part of the Project between 2001 and 2004. If pumping rates of recent years are continued, the aquifer could achieve a new equilibrium; however, the final configuration of the water table (depth to water) and the spatial and temporal distribution of the resulting effects to streams are unknown. Historical water-level data suggest that the water table should recover from recent declines if pumping is reduced to pre-2001 rates.

Ground-Water Resources of Honey Lake Valley, Lassen County, California, and Washoe County, Nevada

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | December 15th, 1990

Honey Lake Valley is a 2,200-square-mile, northwest-trending, topographically closed basin about 35 miles northwest of Reno, Nevada. Unconsolidated basin-fill deposits on

Honey Lake Valley is a 2,200-square-mile, northwest-trending, topographically closed basin about 35 miles northwest of Reno, Nevada. Unconsolidated basin-fill deposits on the valley floor and fractured volcanic rocks in the northern and eastern uplands are the principal aquifers. Ground water in the Nevada part of the basin is being considered as a potential source of public supply to the Reno area. This report describes the ground-water resources of the basin and the potential hydrologic effects of ground-water development in its eastern part. During an average year, about 1.1 million acre-feet of precipitation falls on the 1,700-square-mile study area within the valley, and an estimated 86,000 acre-feet enters the study area as streamflow in the Susan River and Long Valley Creek. Almost 90 percent of this water runs off, evaporates, or is transpired by plants before it can infiltrate and become ground-water recharge; this includes about 130,000 acre-feet per year that reaches Honey Lake as surface-water inflow. About 130,000 acre-feet recharges the aquifer system annually, about 40 percent by direct infiltration of precipitation over the study area and about 60 percent by infiltration of streamflow and irrigation water. Balancing this is an equal amount of ground-water discharge, of which about 65 percent evaporates from the water table or is transpired by phreatophytes, about 30 percent is withdrawn from wells, and about 5 percent leaves the basin as subsurface outflow to the east. A ground-water flow model of the eastern part of the study area, where withdrawals for public supply have been proposed, was used to evaluate components of the water budget and to estimate the long-term hydrologic effects of hypothetical increased development. Results of the evaluation indicate conditions under which a new equilibrium would be established if 15,000 acre-feet of water were withdrawn from the Fish Springs Ranch area annually. The model indicates that, as a result of such an increase in pumpage, water levels would decline more than 100 feet from present (1988) levels in the vicinity of the pumping, and as much as 40 feet at the California-Nevada State line. Evapotranspiration and subsurface outflow to the east would each be reduced by about 60 percent, but hydrologic effects would be minimal at the western boundary of the flow-model area (just east of Honey Lake). Within the modeled area, the simulation indicates that the increased withdrawals would cause the net flow of ground water eastward across the State line to increase from about 700 acre-feet per year to about 2,300 acre-feet per year.

Groundwater and Urban Growth in the San Joaquin Valley

Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) | September 20th, 2021

The San Joaquin Valley is ground zero for the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). It has the largest groundwater deficit in California and faces some of the

The San Joaquin Valley is ground zero for the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). It has the largest groundwater deficit in California and faces some of the worst impacts from overdraft, including land subsidence and drying wells. SGMA will help the region address these issues—while also building its climate resilience. But this will require hard work, not only by farmers—the largest groundwater users—but also by the valley’s urban water utilities, which serve a growing population while relying mostly on groundwater. As the valley confronts limits on groundwater pumping, urban utilities, local land use authorities, other water users, and state agencies must all engage to ensure a smooth transition for the region’s residents.

Groundwater Trading as a Tool for Implementing California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) | December 8th, 2017

Until recently, the State of California lacked comprehensive groundwater management policy. While many basins havebeen adjudicated in court or have adopted voluntary grou

Until recently, the State of California lacked comprehensive groundwater management policy. While many basins havebeen adjudicated in court or have adopted voluntary groundwater management programs following Assembly Bill 3030 and Senate Bill 1938, the vast majority of groundwater use remained unregulated. In 2014, the State Legislature passed the landmark Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) in response to wide-ranging consequences of prolonged and unchecked groundwater pumping. While groundwater serves as an important primary and supplemental water supply for many water users, over-pumping can result in negative consequences, six of which are listed as “undesirable results” under SGMA: chronic aquifer overdraft, reduction of groundwater storage, seawater intrusion, degradation of water quality, land subsidence, and depletion of hydrologically connected surface water. SGMA requires local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) to develop and implement Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) to manage groundwater to avoid such consequences. To meet the requirements of SGMA, GSAs will need to employ a wide range of management tools. This paper focuses on one set of these tools: groundwater trading programs. Trading goes by many different names, including markets, cap and trade, transfers, credit programs, banking, pooling, and exchanges. For the purposes of this paper, we have elected to use the terms “trading” and “trading programs” as the broader categorization of incentive-based management tools. Trading can be executed through a wide range of exchange vehicles, including short- and long-term leases, permanent transfers, and other more advanced or unique arrangements, such as inter-annual water exchanges or dry-year options contracts.