Metropolitan Water Management

American Geophysical Union (AGU) | January 1st, 1981

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Water Resources Monograph Series, Volume 6. This monograph is intended to inform interested and capable pers

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Water Resources Monograph Series, Volume 6. This monograph is intended to inform interested and capable persons, who happen not to be specialists in water resources planning, of the issues and alternative strategies related to metropolitan water supply. This involves learning something about the alternative strategies—some ancient and others not yet operational—for increasing water supplies and/or modifying demand so a supply/demand balance is maintained. This also requires an awareness of the complex economic, environmental, and social issues that increasingly compound what once was considered a purely technological problem, to be left to water resource specialists to solve.

Midcoast Groundwater Study Phase III, San Mateo County, California

San Mateo County | June 4th, 2010

San Mateo County ‘Midcoast’ extends from northern Half Moon Bay to Devils Slide along Highway 1. It encompasses the communities of Montara, Moss Beach, Seal Cove, Pri

San Mateo County ‘Midcoast’ extends from northern Half Moon Bay to Devils Slide along Highway 1. It encompasses the communities of Montara, Moss Beach, Seal Cove, Princeton, El Granada, and Miramar. Domestic water is supplied to the southern part of the region by Coastside County Water District (CCWD), providing services from Half Moon Bay to Princeton, and by Montara Water and Sanitary District (MWSD) on the north, servicing Montara and Moss Beach. Private wells are scattered through both service districts and outlying areas. With the exception of CCWD, which meets much of its demand through long-term contractual agreements with San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the source of domestic water is from local surface water and groundwater resources. The carrying capacity of the local resources may be considered as the population that can be sustained using conservation measures during an extended drought without undue stress to valued natural habitats.

Modeling Land Subsidence Using InSAR and Airborne Electromagnetic Data

American Geophysical Union (AGU) | March 13th, 2019

Land subsidence as a result of groundwater overpumping in the San Joaquin Valley, California, is associated with the loss of groundwater storage and aquifer contaminatio

Land subsidence as a result of groundwater overpumping in the San Joaquin Valley, California, is associated with the loss of groundwater storage and aquifer contamination. Although the physical processes governing land subsidence are well understood, building predictive models of subsidence is challenging because so much subsurface information is required to do so accurately. For the first time, we integrate airborne electromagnetic data, representing the subsurface, with subsidence data, mapped by interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR), to model deformation. By combining both data sets, we are able to solve for hydrologic and geophysical properties of the subsurface to effectively model the complex spatiotemporal process of deformation. The resulting model reveals that roughly 3 m of subsidence has occurred at one location of our study area from 1990 to 2018. This model also allows us to predict subsidence more accurately under future hydrologic scenarios, which is needed to develop plans for sustainable groundwater use.

Modeling the effect of habitat availability and quality on endangered winter-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) production in the Sacramento Valley

Ecological Modelling (Elsevier) | March 13th, 2021

Reconciliation between water uses and sustaining aquatic species populations requires an effort to identify and quantify essential habitat characteristics for ecosystem h

Reconciliation between water uses and sustaining aquatic species populations requires an effort to identify and quantify essential habitat characteristics for ecosystem health and valuation methods to predict ecosystem response to restoration actions. This process is particularly challenging for anadromous fish species such as California's Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon, due to their limited geographic range and diverse life history habitat requirements. Tools, such as life-cycle models, are needed to manage population dynamics and quantify the composite effects of processes across space and time. Nevertheless, complex institutions can hinder result interpretation and communication, and limit model use in decision-making. This paper focuses on the federally endangered and endemic Sacramento River winter-run Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) by developing a Winter-Run Habitat-based Population Model (WRHAP). WRHAP is a conceptual, freshwater rearing stage model that includes alternative rearing habitats reported in the literature (e.g., floodplains, off-channel and tributaries), defines rules of habitat use based on instream conditions, and incorporates a juvenile growth module that combines bioenergetics modeling with empirical growth rates. Model outputs reasonably follow observed out-migration patterns and provide a realistic smolt size distribution arriving at the San Francisco Bay. This effort demonstrates the importance of currently “non-critical” habitats (as defined by the Endangered Species Act) for juvenile development, with floodplain habitat contributing to a quarter of out-migrating biomass (despite < 18% availability and <10% of total rearing days), and off-channel growth being one of the most sensitive parameters (explaining ~13% of average juvenile weight variance). The model shows the utility of a simple population model to explore relationships between habitat quality/quantity and juvenile development, and to assist water/environmental management and decision-making processes focused on species recovery.

Modesto Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Stanislaus and Tuolumne Rivers Groundwater Basin Association (STRGBA) | January 31st, 2022

This Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) covers the entire Modesto Subbasin (5-22.02), designated a high-priority basin by the Department of Water Resources (DWR). The

This Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) covers the entire Modesto Subbasin (5-22.02), designated a high-priority basin by the Department of Water Resources (DWR). The Modesto Subbasin covers about 245,253 acres in the northern San Joaquin Valley Groundwater Basin and is bounded by the Stanislaus River on the north, the Tuolumne River on the south, the San Joaquin River on the west and the crystalline basement rocks of the Sierra Nevada Foothills on the east. The Modesto Subbasin relies on two primary sources of water supply – surface water from the Stanislaus and Tuolumne rivers and groundwater pumped from the Subbasin. Due to size, this file has been divided. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Monitoring Well Destruction, Replacement, and New Installations at Various Locations Soquel, Capitola, and Aptos, CA

Soquel Creek Water District | June 14th, 2012

A total of six new monitoring wells and seven replacement monitoring wells were drilled and constructed, and 13 monitoring well destroyed between February 7 and April 26,

A total of six new monitoring wells and seven replacement monitoring wells were drilled and constructed, and 13 monitoring well destroyed between February 7 and April 26, 2012 for the Soquel Creek Water District (District). This work took place at six different locations in the Soquel-Aptos area. The work was accomplished in order to meet the basin management objectives of the Soquel-Aptos Groundwater Management Plan (Soquel Creek Water District and Central Water District, 2007) and recommendations made in the Water Year 2010 Annual Report and Review (HydroMetrics WRI, 2011). A summary of the work performed and monitoring well construction details at each of the six locations are provided below. 

Montecito Groundwater Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Montecito Groundwater Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (MGBGSA) | May 19th, 2023

Moving Forward Effort: Phase 1 Report

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) | May 1st, 2015

In 2012, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), in partnership with the seven Colorado River Basin States (Basin States) and in collaboration with a wide spectrum of

In 2012, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), in partnership with the seven Colorado River Basin States (Basin States) and in collaboration with a wide spectrum of Colorado River Basin (Basin) stakeholders, published the most comprehensive study of future Basin supply and demand ever undertaken. The Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study (Basin Study) confirmed that, in the absence of timely action, there are likely to be significant shortfalls between projected water supplies and demands in coming decades. The Basin Study also confirmed that a wide range of solutions are needed to mitigate and adapt to such shortfalls, which are likely to affect each sector (agricultural, municipal, energy, and environmental, for example) dependent on the Colorado River and its tributaries. In response to the findings of the Basin Study, in May 2013, Reclamation and the Basin States, in collaboration with the Ten Tribes Partnership and conservation organizations, initiated the Moving Forward effort to build on future considerations and next steps identified in the Basin Study. The Moving Forward effort builds upon and enhances the broad, inclusive stakeholder process demonstrated in the Basin Study with an ultimate goal of identifying actionable steps to address projected water supply and demand imbalances that have broad-based support and provide a wide-range of benefits. The Moving Forward effort is being conducted in a phased approach. Phase 1, which was funded by Reclamation and the Basin States, began with the formation of a Coordination Team and three multi-stakeholder workgroups that focus on water conservation, reuse, and environmental and recreational flows. The Phase 1 Report documents the activities and outcomes of the workgroups during this phase. Commenting on the information provided in the Phase 1 Report is encouraged. Written comments should be submitted within 90 days following the release of this report. The comments will be summarized and posted to the Moving Forward website and will be considered in future Moving Forward phases. Instructions for submitting comments are provided at [this link].

Multiobjective Water Resource Planning

American Geophysical Union (AGU) | January 1st, 1977

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Water Resources Monograph Series, Volume 4. This volume, the fourth in the American Geophysical Union's Wate

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Water Resources Monograph Series, Volume 4. This volume, the fourth in the American Geophysical Union's Water Resources Monograph Series, is an exposition of multiobjective water resource planning. The multiobjective approach is, I believe, an approach that will enable water resource planners to improve substantially the social value of the projects that they build or, in the case of management plans, implement. As a not unwelcome side effect the multiobjective approach should provide a more satisfying professional life to planners and engineers. It requires more effort in the early stages of planning than simpler criteria such as the traditional benefit-cost analysis that it replaces, but at the same time, multiobjective analysis frees the planner from the burden of designing projects that are not fully representative of the social, economic, environmental, and other objectives that govern public investment in water resources.

Municipal Stormwater Management Spending in California: Data Extraction, Compilation, and Analysis

Environmental Management (Springer) | March 23rd, 2022

Communities in the U.S. fund stormwater management programs to reduce flooding and improve and protect water quality. Few studies have attempted to quantify municipal sto

Communities in the U.S. fund stormwater management programs to reduce flooding and improve and protect water quality. Few studies have attempted to quantify municipal storwmater management expenditures. This task is important given efforts to meet increasing water quality standards and develop new revenue sources. The purpose of this study was to evaluate trends in municipal stormwater management expenditures across the state of California. The study identified and compiled publicly-available data on reported stormwater expenditures (spending) and budgets for local governments in California. Data were extracted from annual reports for over 160 public agencies. A standardized rubric of activities was developed and used to create a first-of-its-kind database of municipal stormwater budgets and expenditures. The results indicated that there is over $700 million in annual municipal stormwater spending, but this total does not represent all spending due to gaps in publicly-available data. Counties and flood control districts often have the largest total expenditures in a region, but in aggregate cities reported more spending statewide. Available data are not sufficient to adequately evaluate whether current spending meets regulatory requirements. Additionally, publicly-available data are inconsistent across geographic regions regulated by different agencies. The analysis offers a template for improved cost reporting of stormwater programs in U.S. municipalities, which can help answer key questions such as the sufficiency of current funding. Future research can use the method to evaluate spending in other states and regions, evaluate trends over time to improve outcomes, and refine the spending categories based on examples from other states. Click here for related post at UC Davis site California WaterBlog