Oil, Food, and Water: Challenges and Opportunities for California Agriculture

Pacific Institute | December 1st, 2015

A new comprehensive study by the Pacific Institute  sheds light on the risks posed when oil and gas exploration and production operate alongside agriculture. “There

A new comprehensive study by the Pacific Institute  sheds light on the risks posed when oil and gas exploration and production operate alongside agriculture. “There is growing concern about competition for land and water, and the impacts of soil and water contamination on the food supply and health and safety of farmworkers and consumers,” said Matthew Heberger, the study’s lead author. The disposal of oil and gas wastewater, which contains harmful chemicals, is a particular concern for agriculture. Disposal in unlined percolation pits poses a significant risk of contaminating groundwater resources that may, in turn, be used by agriculture. While this practice has been banned in several states, it is still widely used in California’s Central Valley, one of the nation’s most important agricultural regions. There are also serious deficiencies in the way California regulates the underground injection of wastes – current practices are not sufficiently protective of freshwater aquifers that may be used as drinking water or to irrigate crops and water livestock.

Ojai Basin Groundwater Management Agency Groundwater Management Plan – 2018 Update

Ojai Basin Groundwater Management Agency | August 30th, 2018

In September, 2014, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a package of three bills (AB 1739, SB 1168, and SB 1319) known as the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (“

In September, 2014, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a package of three bills (AB 1739, SB 1168, and SB 1319) known as the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (“SGMA”). SGMA provides a framework for sustainable management of groundwater supplies by local authorities, with a limited role for state intervention only if necessary to protect the resource.  The Act requires the formation of local groundwater sustainability agencies that must assess conditions in their local water basins and adopt locally-based management plans. SGMA provides local agencies with the tools and authority to require registration of groundwater wells, measure and manage extractions, require reports and assess fees, and request revisions of basin boundaries, including establishing new subbasins.  High- and medium-priority basins, as defined by the State of California Department of Water Resources (“DWR”), must adopt groundwater sustainability plans within five to seven years, depending on whether the basin is in critical overdraft. Statewide groundwater basins are prioritized based on eight criteria: (1) overlying population, (2) projected growth of overlying population, (3) public supply wells, (4) total water wells, (5) overlying irrigated acreage, (6) reliance on groundwater as the primary source of water (7) impacts on the groundwater, including overdraft, subsidence, saline intrusion, and other water quality degradation, and (8) any other information determined to be relevant by the DWR.  Consistent with its Enabling Legislation, the Ojai Basin Groundwater Management Agency (“OBGMA” or “Agency”) has worked to preserve the quantity and quality of groundwater in the Ojai Valley Groundwater Basin (“Ojai Basin”) for sustainable long-term use since the agency’s establishment in 1991. (The Agency’s Enabling Legislation, SB 534, approved by the Governor October 8, 1991, is also referred to herein as the “OBGMA Act.”) These management efforts have resulted in the protection and maintenance of the long-term water supply for the common benefit of all water users in the Basin. As a result, the Ojai Basin has operated within its “sustainable yield” for the past several decades with no evidence of “undesirable results.”  Per OBGMA Resolution No. 2014-4, adopted by its Board of Directors on December 4, 2014 (copy included as Appendix A), OBGMA is designated as the Groundwater Sustainability Agency (“GSA”) for the Ojai Groundwater Basin. In addition, SGMA identifies OBGMA as an “exclusive local agency” within its statutory boundaries for purposes of implementing the requirements of the Act. (Water Code § 10723(c)(1).) Since OBGMA, in compliance with its Enabling Legislation, already performs many of the planning and management tasks required by SGMA, and sustainable conditions have persisted in the Basin for more than a 10-year period. OBGMA determined it would comply with SGMA by making the Alternative Demonstration of groundwater sustainability authorized by Water Code § 10733.6(b)(3).  To comply with SGMA, OBGMA issued its December 23, 2016 “Report Supporting Alternative Demonstration Made Pursuant to Water Code 10733.6(b)(3). The report contained a physical description of the Basin, including groundwater levels, groundwater quality, information on groundwater-surface water interaction, data on historical and projected water demands and supplies, monitoring and management provisions. The report demonstrated how the Ojai Basin has operated within its “sustainable yield” for the past several decades with no evidence of “undesirable results.”  In sum, OBGMA’s management of the Basin pursuant to its Enabling Legislation has allowed the Agency to make the Alternative Demonstration authorized by SGMA. This 2018 Update to the Agency’s Groundwater Management Plan, undertaken in compliance with its Enabling Legislation, is part of the Agency’s ongoing efforts to preserve the long-term quantity and quality of groundwater in the Ojai Basin for the common benefit all users in the Basin. 

Opportunities to Accelerate Nature-Based Solutions: A Roadmap for Climate Progress, Thriving Nature, Equity, and Prosperity

White House Domestic Climate Policy Office | November 30th, 2022

Opportunities to protect drinking water sources and advance watershed goals through the Clean Water Act

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | November 10th, 2014

We live in times of both declining public agency resources and increasing complexity of environmental and public health problems, like the increasing occurrence, intensit

We live in times of both declining public agency resources and increasing complexity of environmental and public health problems, like the increasing occurrence, intensity, and duration of harmful algal blooms and precursors to disinfection by-products in drinking water. These and other problems are compounded by population growth, climate extremes, and excess water in some places as well as insufficient water in others. Complex times demand creative and thoughtful approaches to challenges. It is critical that we find innovative solutions that leverage expertise, resources, efficiencies, and authorities to achieve our Nation’s water quality and source water protection goals. As part of a State-U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) collaboration initiative, a workgroup was formed to identify opportunities to coordinate among clean water and drinking water programs. This workgroup recognizes that many difficult issues cross program boundaries, and thus a coordinated approach has the potential to make greater headway nationally. In developing the product that follows, the workgroup also drew on the experiences of states and EPA practitioners managing these programs. This Toolkit is a result of state and EPA collaboration. It could not have been developed without the time, effort and dedication of those who contributed to it and particularly the expertise of the state and EPA regional participants who are implementing the practices in this report. This initiative and Toolkit invite a more holistic and coordinated planning and funding approach between the clean water and drinking water programs, and with other public and private partners at the federal, state, and local levels, including water and wastewater utilities. The opportunities outlined in this Toolkit do not reflect all possible environmental authorities that may work together to protect drinking water; it is beyond the scope of this document to acknowledge all threats to, and challenges involved in, protecting drinking water. Instead, the suggestions below describe the fundamental steps toward protective actions that may catalyze broader collaboration among a diversity of programs and entities. It is important to note that this Toolkit does not impose legally binding requirements on EPA, states, tribes, or the regulated community, nor does it confer legal rights or impose legal obligations on any member of the public. This Toolkit does not constitute a regulation, nor does it change or substitute for any Clean Water Act or Safe Drinking Water Act1 provision or EPA regulations. Rather, this Toolkit is designed to support discussion, institutional change, and advance water quality goals and the protection of drinking water sources of public water systems (PWSs)2, also known as source water protection.

Optimal Selection and Placement of Green Infrastructure in Urban Watersheds for PCB Control

American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) | May 1st, 2019

San Francisco Bay and its watersheds are polluted by legacy polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), resulting in the establishment of a total maximum daily load (TDML) that req

San Francisco Bay and its watersheds are polluted by legacy polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), resulting in the establishment of a total maximum daily load (TDML) that requires a 90% PCB load reduction from municipal stormwater. Green infrastructure (GI) is a multibenefit solution for stormwater management, potentially addressing the TMDL objectives, but planning and implementing GI cost-effectively to achieve management goals remains a challenge and requires an integrated watershed approach. This study used the nondominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) coupled with the Stormwater Management Model (SWMM) to find near-optimal combinations of GIs that maximize PCB load reduction and minimize total relative cost at a watershed scale. The selection and placement of three locally favored GI types (bioretention, infiltration trench, and permeable pavement) were analyzed based on their cost and effectiveness. The results show that between optimal solutions and nonoptimal solutions, the effectiveness in load reduction could vary as much as 30% and the difference in total relative cost could be well over $100 million. Sensitivity analysis of both GI costs and sizing criteria suggest that the assumptions made regarding these parameters greatly influenced the optimal solutions.

Optimizing sampling methods for monitoring pollutant trends in San Francisco Bay urban stormwater

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | July 1st, 2016

The Small Tributaries Loading Strategy (STLS) focuses on urban stormwater loadings from small tributaries. To date, STLS monitoring has been geared towards dete

The Small Tributaries Loading Strategy (STLS) focuses on urban stormwater loadings from small tributaries. To date, STLS monitoring has been geared towards determining concentrations and annual loads of PCBs and Hg; the sampling approach has yet to be fully optimized for detecting trends over time. Here, we evaluate the variability and statistical power for detecting future trends in PCBs based on baseline STLS data in the Guadalupe River watershed. The objective was to improve our understanding of the influence of climatic and seasonal factors on baseline stormwater pollutant conditions, and inform refinements to the STLS monitoring design for detecting trends.

Order Approving Temporary Urgency Changes to Water Right License and Permit Terms Relating to Delta Water Quality Objectives

California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | February 21st, 2023

Ordinary High Flows and the Stage–Discharge Relationship in the Arid West Region

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) | July 14th, 2011

The Ordinary High Water Mark (OHWM) defines the lateral extent of non-wetland waters and is regulated as “Waters of the United States” under Sec. 404 of the Clean Wat

The Ordinary High Water Mark (OHWM) defines the lateral extent of non-wetland waters and is regulated as “Waters of the United States” under Sec. 404 of the Clean Water Act. Previous research has developed a reliable and repeatable methodology for identifying the OHWM on ephemeral and intermittent streams in the Arid West using the physical features of the channel (Lichvar and McColley 2008, Curtis and Lichvar 2010). This study expands upon the previous reports by providing an analysis of how gage data may be utilized in OHW determinations. We clarify the methodology for using gage data, review the potential errors encountered in developing a stage–discharge relationship, compare the position of the gage-predicted OHWM to the field OHW signature, and determine the recurrence interval and flow duration of OHW events. The field OHW signature often is not associated with a 2-year flood event like many assume, but ranges from <1- to 15.5-year flood event. This large variation in recurrence intervals for the field OHWMs makes it impossible to define the frequency of the ordinary high flow from gage data because the OHW event is unique to each channel.

Organic Chemical Contaminants in Water System Infrastructure Following Wildfire

American Chemical Society (ACS) | February 1st, 2022

Wildfires have destroyed multiple residential communities in California in recent years. After fires in 2017 and 2018, high concentrations of benzene and other volatile o

Wildfires have destroyed multiple residential communities in California in recent years. After fires in 2017 and 2018, high concentrations of benzene and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were found in public drinking water systems in fire-affected areas. The sources of the contamination and appropriate remediation have been urgent matters of investigation. This study characterizes target and nontarget VOCs and semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in water from a highly contaminated service line after the 2018 Camp Fire (Paradise, CA). Ninety-five organic compounds were identified or tentatively identified in the service line. Laboratory combustion experiments with drinking water pipes made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), cross-linked polyethylene, and high-density polyethylene and a review of the literature were used to evaluate potential sources of the detected chemicals. Among the service line contaminants were 32 compounds associated with PVC pyrolysis and 28 organic compounds also associated with the pyrolysis of polyethylene. The service line sample also contained 55 compounds associated with uncontrolled burning of biomass and waste materials. The findings support hypotheses that wildfires can contaminate drinking water systems both by thermal damage to plastic pipes and intrusion of smoke. Residual chlorine disinfectants in the water system modify the contaminant distribution observed.

Organic geochemistry and toxicology of a stream impacted by unconventional oil and gas wastewater disposal operations

Applied Geochemistry (Elsevier) | March 10th, 2017

The large volume of wastewater produced during unconventional oil and gas (UOG) extraction is a significant challenge for the energy industry and of environmental concern

The large volume of wastewater produced during unconventional oil and gas (UOG) extraction is a significant challenge for the energy industry and of environmental concern, as the risks due to leaks, spills, and migration of these fluids into natural waters are unknown. UOG wastewater is often hypersaline, and contains myriad organic and inorganic substances added for production purposes and derived from the source rock or formation water. In this study, we examined the organic composition and toxicology of water and sediments in a stream adjacent to an underground injection disposal facility that handles UOG wastewaters.