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Water Budgets: Foundations for Effective Water-Resources and Environmental Management

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | August 30th, 2007

Summary

Water budgets provide a means for evaluating availability and sustainability of a water supply. A water budget simply states that the rate of change in water stored in an

Water budgets provide a means for evaluating availability and sustainability of a water supply. A water budget simply states that the rate of change in water stored in an area, such as a watershed, is balanced by the rate at which water flows into and out of the area. An understanding of water budgets and underlying hydrologic processes provides a foundation for effective water-resource and environmental planning and management. Observed changes in water budgets of an area over time can be used to assess the effects of climate variability and human activities on water resources. Comparison of water budgets from different areas allows the effects of factors such as geology, soils, vegetation, and land use on the hydrologic cycle to be quantified. Human activities affect the natural hydrologic cycle in many ways. Modifications of the land to accommodate agriculture, such as installation of drainage and irrigation systems, alter infiltration, runoff, evaporation, and plant transpiration rates. Buildings, roads, and parking lots in urban areas tend to increase runoff and decrease infiltration. Dams reduce flooding in many areas. Water budgets provide a basis for assessing how a natural or human-induced change in one part of the hydrologic cycle may affect other aspects of the cycle. This report provides an overview and qualitative description of water budgets as foundations for effective water-resources and environmental management of freshwater hydrologic systems. Perhaps of most interest to the hydrologic community, the concepts presented are also relevant to the fields of agriculture, atmospheric studies, meteorology, climatology, ecology, limnology, mining, water supply, flood control, reservoir management, wetland studies, pollution control, and other areas of science, society, and industry. The first part of the report describes water storage and movement in the atmosphere, on land surface, and in the subsurface, as well as water exchange among these compartments. Our ability to measure these phenomena and inherent uncertainties in measurement techniques also are discussed. The latter part of the report presents a number of case studies that illustrate how water-budget studies are conducted, documents how human activities affect water budgets, and describes how water budgets are used to address water and environmental issues.

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Water Column Selenium Concentrations in the San Francisco Bay-Delta: Recent Data and Recommendations for Future Monitoring

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | August 1st, 2017

Summary

The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Board developed a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) and implementation plan for selenium in North San Francisco Bay (NSFB) in 2015.1 T

The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Board developed a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) and implementation plan for selenium in North San Francisco Bay (NSFB) in 2015.1 The TMDL is based on attainment of water column and fish tissue target concentrations protective of human health, aquatic life, and wildlife, and was approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency in August, 2016. Analyses in support of the TMDL synthesized the results of different monitoring efforts to characterize selenium concentrations in water and biota in the Estuary. For water quality evaluation in the TMDL, the sources of observational data included studies of selenium speciation across the estuarine salinity gradient, performed in 1999-2000 and again in 2010 and 2012 (Cutter and Cutter 2004, Doblin et al. 2006, Tetra Tech, 2012), as well as samples collected by the San Francisco Bay Regional Monitoring Program (RMP). Changes in wastewater treatment from the five major refineries in NSFB were implemented in the late 1990s, leading to significant reductions in selenium loads. Data at Estuary center-line locations showed small changes for dissolved selenium in the mid-salinity range and no trends in particulate selenium (Baginska, 2015). As part of the TMDL, water quality modeling analyses were performed to characterize NSFB selenium concentrations under a range of hydrologic conditions and changing point-source loads (Baginska, 2015). Water column selenium concentration data in the NSFB and Delta continue to be collected at selected locations, although these data have not been systematically evaluated following the analyses presented in the TMDL reports. In the near term, possible changes that may cause selenium concentrations to change in the NSFB and Delta include concentration changes in the inflow from the San Joaquin River basin, changes in refinery inputs, changes in stormwater and tributary loads from the Bay margin, and changes in overall Central Valley hydrological conditions, such as the extreme wet and dry periods that occurred between 2012 and 2017. Other drivers, such as nutrient concentrations and algal levels, may also play a role, especially on the concentrations of selenium on particulates.

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Water for a Growing Bay Area: How the region can grow without increasing water demand

Pacific Institute | October 21st, 2021

Summary

The San Francisco Bay Area is at a crossroads. The region, blessed with a beautiful natural setting, multiple shipping ports and world-class universities, is a driver of

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Water for Growth: California’s New Frontier

Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) | July 25th, 2005

Summary

California’s population is expected to add another 14 million people by 2030, reaching a total of 48 million. One of the most serious concerns of policymakers is wh

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Water institutional reforms: theory and practice

International Water Association (IWA) Publishing | February 1st, 2005

Summary

This paper aims to set the stage with an outline of the conceptual, analytical and theoretical aspects of water institutional reforms and a synthesis of the main findings

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Water is a master variable: Solving for resilience in the modern era

Water Security, Elsevier | November 21st, 2019

Summary

Resilience is increasingly recognized as an imperative for any prospect of sustainable development, as it relates to our ability to sustain human well-being and progress

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Water Management Companion Plan (to the Statewide Wildlife Action Plan)

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) | December 21st, 2016

Summary

The California State Wildlife Action Plan 2015 Update provides a vision and a framework for conserving California’s diverse natural heritage. SWAP 2015 also calls for t

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Water Partnerships between Cities and Farms in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley

Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) | October 29th, 2020

Summary

The San Joaquin Valley and urban Southern California are worlds apart in many ways. Yet each face growing water challenges and a shared interest in ensuring reliable, aff

The San Joaquin Valley and urban Southern California are worlds apart in many ways. Yet each face growing water challenges and a shared interest in ensuring reliable, affordable water supplies to safeguard their people and economies. Both regions’ water futures could be more secure if they take advantage of shared water infrastructure to jointly develop and manage some water supplies. Increasing climate volatility is heightening concerns about droughts of the future. And two major shifts in California’s water landscape have generated new opportunities for collaboration between urban and agricultural interests. For urban areas, significant declines in water demand have reduced pressure on supplies during normal and wet years for many agencies, making reliability for future droughts the primary concern. For the overdrafted San Joaquin Valley, the requirement to manage groundwater sustainably has heightened interest in expanding water supplies and underground storage. Partnerships between Southern California cities and San Joaquin Valley farms could help alleviate groundwater overdraft in the valley while building drought resilience in Southern California. More flexible supplies can help agencies adapt to changing conditions. By coordinating the location of infrastructure investments, agencies can use partnerships to bring the water where and when it is most needed, at least cost. This report explores a variety of solutions that could benefit both regions. For the San Joaquin Valley, we look for ways to augment water supplies to ease the transition to groundwater sustainability, while for Southern California we explore options that would increase cities’ ability to deal effectively with extended droughts. By diversifying water supplies, building connections to share water more flexibly, and preparing for the extreme events to come, such partnerships would support Governor Newsom’s Water Resilience Portfolio, and pave the way for a shared effort to make the state’s water system more resilient to a changing climate.

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Water Quality Challenges in the San Francisco Bay/ Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary: EPA’s Action Plan

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | August 22nd, 2012

Summary

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed this Action Plan after assessing the effectiveness of current regulatory mechanisms designed to protect water qua

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed this Action Plan after assessing the effectiveness of current regulatory mechanisms designed to protect water quality in the San Francisco Bay Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary (Bay Delta Estuary) and its tributaries. EPA’s assessment concludes that Clean Water Act (CWA) programs currently are not adequately protecting aquatic resources of the Bay Delta Estuary. In this document, EPA recommends actions to restore water quality for aquatic species protection using existing EPA authorities and resources, as well as actions EPA believes are important and appropriate for the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board). EPA is one of more than 25 state and federal governmental agencies with responsibilities in the Bay Delta Estuary. EPA’s major statutory mission in the Estuary is to implement the CWA. EPA has delegated many CWA program authorities to the State Water Board while providing financial support,1 technical assistance, and oversight (including, in some cases, review and approval of State actions). Much of EPA's work in this Action Plan (as well as elsewhere in California) is done in support of and in partnership with the State. For example, water quality standards, which define water quality goals for our waterbodies, are typically developed and adopted by the State with EPA assistance, review, and ultimately, approval or disapproval. In the Bay Delta Estuary, EPA focuses on assuring that the many designated uses of the Estuary’s aquatic resources are protected. EPA emphasizes the CWA goals of maintaining and improving water quality – the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the water – to ensure the Bay Delta Estuary can function as a vibrant, healthy estuary. About 90 species of fish are found in the Delta. The Delta’s channels serve as a migratory route and nursery area for Chinook salmon, striped bass, white and green sturgeon, American shad, and steelhead trout. These anadromous fish spend most of their adult lives either in the lower bays of the Estuary or in the ocean. Resident fish in the Estuary include delta smelt, longfin smelt, Sacramento splittail, catfish, largemouth bass, black bass, crappie, and bluegill. All Bay Delta Estuary waters are impaired by one or more contaminants. In addition, the reduction in the quantity and quality of estuarine habitat limits the Estuary’s ability to support aquatic species. EPA’s Action Plan describes a suite of activities to: 1. Strengthen water quality standards to protect estuarine habitat 2. Advance regional water quality monitoring and assessment 3. Accelerate water quality restoration through Total Maximum Daily Loads 4. Strengthen selenium water quality criteria 5. Prevent pesticide pollution 6. Restore aquatic habitats while managing methylmercury 7. Support the Bay Delta Conservation Plan Collectively, these activities will contribute to the restoration of the Bay Delta Estuary. Even if they are all successfully implemented, however, they are not sufficient to resolve the complex problems that have stressed the ecosystem to the point of collapse. Any solution to the ecological problems of the Bay Delta Estuary must be multi-faceted, including providing sufficient flows, physical habitat which is sufficiently large, connected, diverse, and self-sustaining, as well as a reduction of many types of stressors, such as contaminants, invasive species, and predation.

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Water Quality Control Plan for the Central Coastal Basin

Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (CCRWQCB) | March 1st, 2016

Summary

The objective of this Water Quality Control Plan for the Central Coastal Basin, or Basin Plan, is to show how the quality of the surface and ground waters in the Central

The objective of this Water Quality Control Plan for the Central Coastal Basin, or Basin Plan, is to show how the quality of the surface and ground waters in the Central Coast Region should be managed to provide the highest water quality reasonably possible. Water uses and water benefits vary. Water quality is an important factor in determining use and benefit. For example, drinking water has to be of higher quality than the water used to irrigate pastures. Both are legitimate uses, but the quality requirements for irrigation are different from those for domestic use. The plan recognizes such variations. This Basin Plan lists the various water uses (Beneficial Uses, Chapter Two). Second, it describes the water quality which must be maintained to allow those uses (Water Quality Objectives, Chapter Three). Federal terminology is somewhat different, in that beneficial uses and water quality objectives are combined and the combination is called Water Quality Standards. Chapter Four, the Implementation Plan, then describes the programs, projects, and other actions which are necessary to achieve the standards established in this plan. Chapter Five, Plans and Policies, summarizes State Water Resources Control Board (State Board) and Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board) plans and policies to protect water quality. Chapter Six describes statewide surveillance and monitoring programs as well as regional surveillance and monitoring programs. The Regional Board implements the Basin Plan by issuing and enforcing waste discharge requirements to individuals, communities, or businesses whose waste discharges can affect water quality. These requirements can be either State Waste Discharge Requirements for discharges to land, or federally delegated National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits for discharges to surface water. Methods of treatment are not specified. When such discharges are managed so that: 1) they meet these requirements; 2) water quality objectives are met; and, 3) beneficial uses are protected, water quality is controlled. The Basin Plan is also implemented by encouraging water users to improve the quality of their water supplies, particularly where the wastewater they discharge is likely to be reused. Public works or other projects which can affect water quality are reviewed and their impacts identified. Proposals which implement or help achieve the goals of the Basin Plan are supported; the Regional Board makes water quality control recommendations for other projects. To check for any updates or amendments since this document was loaded into the library, please visit the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Board's basin plan page.

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Page : 64

Water Budgets: Foundations for Effective Water-Resources and Environmental Management

Water Column Selenium Concentrations in the San Francisco Bay-Delta: Recent Data and Recommendations for Future Monitoring

Water for a Growing Bay Area: How the region can grow without increasing water demand

Water for Growth: California’s New Frontier

Water institutional reforms: theory and practice

Water is a master variable: Solving for resilience in the modern era

Water Management Companion Plan (to the Statewide Wildlife Action Plan)

Water Partnerships between Cities and Farms in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley

Water Quality Challenges in the San Francisco Bay/ Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary: EPA’s Action Plan

Water Quality Control Plan for the Central Coastal Basin

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