Water Use & Efficiency – California Water Library

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Considering Water Use Efficiency for the Environmental Sector

California Department of Water Resources (DWR) | April 29th, 2010

Summary

The goal of this report is to provide a starting point from which the water planning community can move toward improving the allocation of water within the environmental

The goal of this report is to provide a starting point from which the water planning community can move toward improving the allocation of water within the environmental sector. To facilitate that process, this report presents: 1. A discussion that highlights the water community’s points of agreement on the concept of analyzing the application of water to the environment 2. A term, Managed Environmental Water Use Efficiency (MEWUE), to reflect that concept, and a definition of that term 3. A survey of existing methods that could be used to develop MEWUE 4. Suggestions about how to proceed with implementing MEWUE Based on our analysis, we found that there was genuine interest in understanding and improving how water is allocated to the environment. The idea of maximizing environmental benefits for a given amount of allocated water is a unifying thread among stakeholder interests. We focus on this idea throughout the report as the central concept that MEWUE is intended to achieve. We propose a new term to reflect the stated concerns of stakeholders that other terms, Environmental Water Use Efficiency and Ecosystem Restoration Water Use Efficiency, did not fully address. We propose Managed to indicate that MEWUE does not evaluate the environment’s use of water per se but rather the effectiveness of water in controlled systems. We propose Environmental to reflect the range of “uses” of water in the ecosystem, including ecosystem maintenance, restoration, and water quality. Lastly, we support the use of the word Efficiency because efficiency communicates the intent of maximizing benefit for a given amount of water, providing a basis for comparison of the benefits obtainable from different uses of that water. MEWUE: a mechanism to analyze alternative uses of managed environmental water to determine which allocation of a given amount of water will maximize environmental benefits, and a means to improve decision-making over time. We address the issue of why having an explicit decision-making mechanism is essential. It is hard to allay the fears that some have of incorrectly measuring environmental benefits. However, it is even more difficult to claim that decisions based on implicit measures and beliefs are better for the environment than those based on some imperfect but explicit consideration of environmental benefits.

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Consumption Change Detection for Urban Planning: Monitoring and Segmenting Water Customers During Drought

American Geophysical Union (AGU) | March 11th, 2020

Summary

Demand management is a powerful way for water utilities to address the challenges of population growth and climate change. Although active conservation efforts have been

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Cover cropping and no-tillage improve soil health in an arid irrigated cropping system in California’s San Joaquin Valley, USA

Soil and Tillage Research (Elsevier) | January 3rd, 2017

Summary

The concept of soil health has attracted considerable attention during the past two decades, but few studies have focused on the effects on soil health of long-term soil

The concept of soil health has attracted considerable attention during the past two decades, but few studies have focused on the effects on soil health of long-term soil management in arid irrigated environments. We investigated the effects of cover cropping and no-till management on soil physical and chemical properties during a 15-year experiment in California’s San Joaquin Valley (SJV) USA. Our objective was to determine if soil health could be improved by these practices in an annual crop rotation. The impact of long-term no-tillage (NT) and cover cropping (CC) practices, alone and in combination, was measured and compared with standard tillage (ST) with and without cover crops (NO) in irrigated row crops after 15 years of management. Soil aggregation, rates of water infiltration, content of carbon, nitrogen, water extractable organic carbon (WEOC) and organic nitrogen (WEON), residue cover, and biological activity were all increased by NT and CC practices relative to STNO. However, effects varied by depth with NT increasing soil bulk density by 12% in the 0–15 cm depth and 10% in the 15–30 cm depth. Higher levels of WEOC were found in the CC surface (0–5 cm) depth in both spring and fall samplings in 2014. Surface layer (0–15 cm) WEON was higher in the CC systems for both samplings. Tillage did not affect WEON in the spring, but WEON was increased in the NT surface soil layer in the fall. Sampling depth, CC, and tillage affected 1-day soil respiration and a soil health index assessment, however the effects were seasonal, with higher levels found in the fall sampling than in the spring. Both respiration and the soil health index were increased by CC with higher levels found in the 0–5 cm depth than in the 5–15 and 15–30 cm depths. Results indicated that adoption of NT and CC in arid, irrigated cropping systems could benefit soil health by improving chemical, physical, and biological indicators of soil functions while maintaining similar crop yields as the ST system.

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Critical Review: Regulatory Incentives and Impediments for onsite Graywater Reuse in the United States

Water Environment Research | July 11th, 2013

Summary

Graywater is a potential water source for reducing water demand. Accordingly, a review was undertaken of graywater reuse regulations and guidelines within the 50 United

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Delta Vision Strategic Plan

State of California | October 17th, 2008

Summary

When it was created by Governor Schwarzenegger’s Executive Order S-17-06 in 2006, the charge of the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force (Task Force) was nothing less th

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Delta Vision Strategic Plan -- from Phil Isenberg, 1939-2023

State of California | October 17th, 2008

Summary

When it was created by Governor Schwarzenegger’s Executive Order S-17-06 in 2006, the charge of the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force (Task Force) was nothing less th

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Diverse stakeholders create collaborative, multilevel basin governance for groundwater sustainability

California Agriculture (UCANR) | March 13th, 2018

Summary

The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) is introducing significant changes in the way groundwater is governed for agricultural use. It requires the format

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Drip Irrigation

Scientific American | November 1st, 1977

Summary

Some 40 years ago Symcha Blass, an Israeli engineer, observed that a large tree near a leaking faucet exhibited a more vigorous growth than the other trees in the are

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Economic Efficiency of Water Use and Allocation in California: A Scoping-Level Analysis

Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force (Delta Vision) | July 1st, 2008

Summary

This report identifies key issues related to the economic efficiency of water development, allocation and use in California and discusses general policy changes that migh

This report identifies key issues related to the economic efficiency of water development, allocation and use in California and discusses general policy changes that might improve economic efficiency. Policy options focus on water pricing, water transfers, water use efficiency (i.e, conservation) and State development and enforcement policies. Analysis is provided at a scoping level of detail. Some important empirical issues that weigh on the relative merits of potential policy changes are not addressed. Efficiency of water use has never been more important in California. There is a need to save water and money. California has recently made progress in improved economic efficiency of water use, but major issues remain. Also, recent changes in the amount and location of supplies suggest a review of allocation efficiency. There are two important efficiency topics that this paper does not address in detail. First, economic efficiency of water use for ecosystem purposes is a viable concept, but it is difficult to apply given the state of Delta ecosystem science and the current range of possible futures. We can not quantify the relationship between water and ecosystem functions and values. Therefore, our ability to prescribe efficiency changes related to Delta water for ecosystem purposes is limited. Second, this paper also does not address the economic efficiency of major new storage or Delta conveyance facilities. The efficiency of specific water supply projects including regional or local conjunctive use and groundwater storage projects are also not considered. These are being addressed in different forums. This report focuses on other types of uses, allocations and development of water. A variety of potential actions and policies that might improve efficiency in the allocation, use and development of water resources are discussed. Some of the efficiency issues are • Are water allocations under California’s water rights systems efficient? • If there are inefficiencies, could an effective water transfer market increase efficiency? • Are there barriers or constraints to water transfer markets that should be removed? • How could water pricing be changed to increase efficiency? • How could California encourage efficiency in the use and development of water through incentives such as grants and loans, and through enforcement? In all cases, our findings represent potential improvements from the perspective of economic efficiency alone. There are usually other, non-economic considerations which would play into the larger question of the laws and policies that might be changed.

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Energizing Water Efficiency: California Energy Sector Experiences Can Advance State’s Water Conservation and Efficiency

Pacific Institute | December 29th, 2013

Summary

As a dry December accentuates the stress on California’s limited water supplies, the success of the state’s energy sector in implementing efficiency programs offers v

As a dry December accentuates the stress on California’s limited water supplies, the success of the state’s energy sector in implementing efficiency programs offers valuable lessons to the water sector. A new report from the Pacific Institute examines the rules, regulations, and policies that promote energy efficiency and finds models for water management in drivers like the energy sector’s appliance standards, building codes, pricing policies, and utility-sponsored efficiency programs. California has made remarkable improvements in energy efficiency over the last several decades and is recognized as a national leader. The state’s per capita electricity and natural gas consumption is about 45% and 30% less, respectively, than other Americans. Indeed, California’s per capita electricity consumption has remained largely unchanged since the mid-1970s – while increasing by more than 50% across the U.S. Efficiency policies, including incentive and education programs, have been a major factor in reducing per capita energy use in California. In water conservation and efficiency, California has also made major advances. Many urban areas across the state, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, are serving a larger population with the same or even less water than 20 years ago. But with increasing pressure on water supply from population and economic growth, the need to restore freshwater ecosystems, and climate change, greater water conservation and efficiency are essential. “Reductions in per-capita water demand have been driven first by a shift to a less water-intensive service-oriented economy, and second by federal, state, and local policies as well as utility programs facilitating water-efficiency improvements,” said Heather Cooley, co-director of the Pacific Institute Water Program. “We must examine new approaches for achieving even greater savings to address the water challenges we now face.” The Pacific Institute report identifies programs that have worked for the energy sector and offers recommendations for how they could be adapted to the water sector. First among them are to continuously update standards and codes for fixtures and buildings to capture new technologies and practices.

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Considering Water Use Efficiency for the Environmental Sector

Consumption Change Detection for Urban Planning: Monitoring and Segmenting Water Customers During Drought

Cover cropping and no-tillage improve soil health in an arid irrigated cropping system in California’s San Joaquin Valley, USA

Critical Review: Regulatory Incentives and Impediments for onsite Graywater Reuse in the United States

Delta Vision Strategic Plan

Delta Vision Strategic Plan -- from Phil Isenberg, 1939-2023

Diverse stakeholders create collaborative, multilevel basin governance for groundwater sustainability

Drip Irrigation

Economic Efficiency of Water Use and Allocation in California: A Scoping-Level Analysis

Energizing Water Efficiency: California Energy Sector Experiences Can Advance State’s Water Conservation and Efficiency

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