Incentive-based Instruments for Freshwater Management

Pacific Institute | December 1st, 2015

This new synthesis report from the Pacific Institute and the Foundation Center provides a review of existing evidence about the use of incentive-based instruments worldwi

This new synthesis report from the Pacific Institute and the Foundation Center provides a review of existing evidence about the use of incentive-based instruments worldwide. Based on case studies, evaluations, journal articles, and white papers, the authors provide a detailed review of three incentive-based instruments: water trading, payment for ecosystem services, and water quality trading. The report and interactive tool highlight the importance of finding the right fit between a community’s water goals and the water management tool(s) it might choose and, perhaps most importantly, characterize the conditions required for their effective implementation. Originally commissioned by The Rockefeller Foundation, all of the results from this project: the synthesis report, interactive tool, and digital collection are freely available for funders, practitioners, and researchers to use, contribute to, and build on in their work.

Incomplete Determination of the 2020 Eastern San Joaquin Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | January 28th, 2022

The Department of Water Resources (Department) has evaluated the groundwater sustainability plan (GSP) submitted for the Eastern San Joaquin Subbasin (Subbasin) and has d

The Department of Water Resources (Department) has evaluated the groundwater sustainability plan (GSP) submitted for the Eastern San Joaquin Subbasin (Subbasin) and has determined that the GSP is incomplete. The Department based its determination on recommendations from the Staff Report, included as an enclosure to the attached Statement of Findings, which describes that the Eastern San Joaquin Subbasin GSP does not satisfy the objectives of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) nor substantially comply with the GSP Regulations. The Staff Report also provides corrective actions which the Department recommends to address the identified deficiencies.

Incomplete Determination of the 2020 Groundwater Sustainability Plans Submitted for the San Joaquin Valley – Kern County Subbasin

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | January 28th, 2022

Department management has reviewed the enclosed Staff Report, which recommends that the deficiencies identified should preclude approval of the Plan. Based on its review

Department management has reviewed the enclosed Staff Report, which recommends that the deficiencies identified should preclude approval of the Plan. Based on its review of the Staff Report, Department management is satisfied that staff have conducted a thorough evaluation and assessment of the Plan and concurs with, and hereby adopts, staff’s recommendation and all the corrective actions provided. The Department thus deems the Plan incomplete based on the Staff Report and the findings contained herein. A. The GSPs do not establish undesirable results that are consistent for the entire Subbasin. 1. While the Coordination Agreement presents Subbasin-wide undesirable results, the Subbasin’s fragmented approach towards establishing management criteria that define undesirable conditions in various parts of the Subbasin does not satisfy SGMA’s requirement to use same data and methodologies. B. The Subbasin’s chronic lowering of groundwater levels sustainable management criteria do not satisfy the requirements of SGMA and the GSP Regulations. 1. The GSPs relied on disparate methods to develop groundwater level minimum thresholds across the numerous GSPs and management areas. 2. The GSPs do not consistently and sufficiently document the effects of their selected minimum thresholds on beneficial uses and users in the Subbasin, nor explain how the minimum thresholds and measurable objectives that are set below historical lows will impact other applicable sustainability indicators, specifically water quality, land subsidence, and reduction of groundwater storage. C. The Subbasin’s land subsidence sustainable management criteria do not satisfy the requirements of SGMA and the GSP Regulations. 1. The Plan lacks a Subbasin-wide, coordinated approach to establishing land subsidence sustainable management criteria. 2. The GSPs and management areas that use their minimum thresholds for the chronic lowering of groundwater levels as proxy criteria for subsidence do not sufficiently demonstrate that groundwater levels (specifically groundwater levels below historical lows) are a reasonable proxy to avoid land subsidence that would substantially interfere with surface land uses.

Incorporating Wetlands into Watershed Planning

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | February 26th, 2013

The purpose of this Supplement is to encourage the inclusion of proactive wetland management into watershed plans because wetlands play an integral role in the healthy fu

The purpose of this Supplement is to encourage the inclusion of proactive wetland management into watershed plans because wetlands play an integral role in the healthy functioning of the watershed. This Supplement promotes using a watershed approach that not only protects existing freshwater wetlands but also maximizes opportunities to use restored, enhanced, and created freshwater wetlands to address watershed problems such as habitat loss, hydrological alteration, and water quality impairments. The primary audiences for the Supplement are members and staff of watershed organizations and local/state agencies. This document is a Supplement to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Watershed Planning Handbook. It conveys information on recently developed approaches and tools for assessing wetland functions and conditions, the results of which assist decision makers in determining where in a watershed existing and former wetlands can best be restored or enhanced, or where wetlands can be created to optimize their functions in support of water quality and other watershed management plan goals. The Supplement also discusses wetland restoration, enhancement, and creation techniques and reviews the considerations involved in deciding how best to undertake a wetlands project. EPA’s Watershed Planning Handbook and other scientific resources emphasize the importance of the watershed as a management unit in which elements and processes operate over different spatial and temporal scales. The literature also emphasizes the importance of planning and implementing projects aimed at protecting or restoring water quality (or meeting similar goals) within the context of the watershed.

Independent Forensic Team Report: Oroville Dam Spillway Incident

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | January 5th, 2018

The Oroville Dam spillway incident was caused by a long-term systemic failure of the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), regulatory, and general i

The Oroville Dam spillway incident was caused by a long-term systemic failure of the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), regulatory, and general industry practices to recognize and address inherent spillway design and construction weaknesses, poor bedrock quality, and deteriorated service spillway chute conditions. The incident cannot reasonably be “blamed” mainly on any one individual, group, or organization. During service spillway operation on February 7, 2017, water injection through both cracks and joints in the chute slab resulted in uplift forces beneath the slab that exceeded the uplift capacity and structural strength of the slab, at a location along the steep section of the chute . The uplifted slab section exposed the underlying poor quality foundation rock at that location to unexpected severe erosion, resulting in removal of additional slab sections and more erosion . Responding to the damage to the service spillway chute necessitated difficult risk tradeoffs while the lake continued to rise. The resulting decisions, made without a full understanding of relative uncertainties and consequences, allowed the reservoir level to rise above the emergency spillway weir for the first time in the project’s history, leading to severe and rapid erosion downstream of the weir and, ultimately, the evacuation order. . . . There were many opportunities to intervene and prevent the incident , but the overall system of interconnected factors operated in a way that these opportunities were missed. Numerous human , organizational, and industry factors led to the physical factors not being recognized and properly addressed, and to the decision-making during the incident.

Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority (IWVGA) | January 14th, 2020

Currently, the groundwater resources in the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Basin (IWVGB or Basin) are not being sustainably managed. Overdraft conditions have existed fo

Currently, the groundwater resources in the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Basin (IWVGB or Basin) are not being sustainably managed. Overdraft conditions have existed for decades as a result of groundwater pumping that exceeds the natural Basin yield (Dutcher and Moyle, 1973). The results of overdraft have manifested themselves through various undesirable results, primarily the chronic lowering of groundwater levels, the degradation of water quality, and the reduction of groundwater in storage throughout the IWVGB. (See Section 3 for a discussion of overdraft conditions in the Basin.) In compliance with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), as set forth in California Water Code (CWC) Section 10720.1, this Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) discusses Basin management strategies that will culminate in the absence of undesirable and unsustainable groundwater conditions in the IWVGB. The GSP recommends management actions and projects, and provides measurable sustainability objectives and milestones that are intended to achieve Basin sustainability while considering the unique geologic and hydrogeologic conditions of the IWVGB. The recommendations of this GSP will provide for long-term sustainable groundwater management in the IWVGB within 20 years of GSP implementation. Due to size, this file has been divided. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7

Influence of agricultural managed aquifer recharge on nitrate transport: The role of soil texture and flooding frequency

Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) | June 9th, 2021

Agricultural managed aquifer recharge (Ag-MAR) is a concept in which farmland is flooded during the winter using excess surface water to recharge the underlying groundwat

Agricultural managed aquifer recharge (Ag-MAR) is a concept in which farmland is flooded during the winter using excess surface water to recharge the underlying groundwater. In this study, we show how different recharge practices affect NO3− leaching and mineralization–denitrification processes in different soil systems. Two contrasting soil textures (sand and fine sandy loam) from the Central Valley, Califor- nia, were repeatedly flooded with 15 cm of water at varying time intervals in field and soil column experiments. Nitrogen species (NO3–, NH4+, total N), total C, dis- solved O2, and moisture content were measured throughout the experiments. Results show that when flooding occurs at longer intervals (every 1–2 wk), N mineralization increases, leading to an increase of mobile NO3− in the upper root zone and leach- ing of significant quantities of NO3− from both soil textures (137.3 ± 6.6% [sand] and 145.7 ± 5.8% [fine sandy loam] of initial residual soil NO3−) during subsequent flooding events. Laboratory mineralization incubations show that long flooding inter- vals promote mineralization and production of excess NO3− at rates of 0.11–3.93 mg N kg–1 wk–1 (sand) and 0.08–3.41 mg N kg–1 wk–1 (fine sandy loam). Decreasing the flooding frequency to 72 h reduces potential mineralization, decreasing the amount of NO3− leached during flooding events (31.7 ± 3.8% [sand] and 64.7 ± 10.4% [fine sandy loam] of initial residual soil NO3–). The results indicate that implementing recharge as repeated events over a long (multiple-week) time horizon might increase the total amount of NO3− potentially available for leaching to groundwater.

Influence of Urban Areas on Surface Water Loss in the Contiguous United States

American Geophysical Union (AGU) | February 7th, 2022

Information for the Future: The West Side San Joaquin Valley Project

West Side San Joaquin Valley Coordinating Council, University of California, Water Resources Center | September 1st, 1970

Inland Empire Interceptor Appraisal Analysis

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) | September 16th, 2013

The Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA) is a joint powers authority comprised of five member water districts that serve the vast majority of the Santa Ana Water

The Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA) is a joint powers authority comprised of five member water districts that serve the vast majority of the Santa Ana Watershed. The area served by SAWPA is located within Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties of California, bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the west, the San Bernardino Mountains to the north, and the San Jacinto Mountains to the east. The five SAWPA Member Agencies are: • Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD), • Western Municipal Water District (WMWD), • Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA), • San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District (SBVMWD), and • Orange County Water District (OCWD). These five agencies serve most of the Santa Ana Watershed. Population within the watershed has increased significantly in recent years, and this urban growth has put enormous pressure on the regional water supply, water quality and environmental/recreation resources. SAWPA’s mission is to plan and build facilities to protect water quality and enhance the water supply within the Santa Ana River Watershed. This mission includes the goal of achieving a salt balance in the upper Santa Ana Watershed. SAWPA developed the Inland Empire Brine Line (Brine Line), which was formerly known as the Santa Ana Regional Interceptor (SARI), for the purpose of exporting salt from the Santa Ana Watershed. Exportation of salt prevents its accumulation in the watershed and protects the quality of the potable water supply. The future of the potable water supply will continue to be dependent upon an economical means of collection, treatment and disposal of brine. The Brine Line collects and disposes of brine flow from the Santa Ana Watershed and is critical to SAWPA’s mission success. The Brine Line includes approximately 72 miles of pipeline in multiple branches which converge in the vicinity of Prado Dam near the City of Corona. It has a planned capacity of approximately 32.5 million gallons per day (MGD) and was planned for collection and exportation of approximately 271,000 tons of salt per year from the upper Santa Ana Watershed, east of the Santa Ana Mountains. Currently (2010 & 2011), average system flows are approximately 11.7 MGD and over 75,000 tons of salt are exported per year. An additional 21 miles of pipeline convey the combined flows to Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) facilities for treatment and disposal by discharge to the Pacific Ocean. This pipeline has a nominal capacity of 30 MGD. The planned capacity of the Brine Line system (32.5 MGD) exceeds the hydraulic capacity of the pipeline from the Brine Line convergence near Prado Dam to the OCSD facilities. Furthermore, the present agreement between SAWPA and OCSD allows Brine Line flows to the OCSD system up to only 17.0 MGD, with a contractual right to purchase up to 30.0 MGD capacity.