Sustainable Water and Environmental Management in the California Bay-Delta (2012) / Chapter Skim
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5 Constraints and Opportunities for Multifaceted Water Planning
5 Constraints and Opportunities for Multifaceted Water Planning
Pages 191-206
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From page 191... ...
Planning is required to meet public policy goals regarding the delta ecosystem as well as providing a reliable water supply. Planning will likely need to provide flexibility to reallocate water and accommodate wide-ranging watershed 191
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From page 192... ...
The absence of such a process has led to intense political competition for water resources while the adverse effects of scarcity are being felt. A recent review of the structure and approach to California water planning by the Little Hoover Commission concluded that the fragmentation of management and resulting lack of system-level decision making could be addressed if there were a single entity accountable and in charge of California's water planning (Little Hoover Commission 2010)
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From page 193... ...
State Water Plan Process permit and Develop instream flow Surface storage license applications analysis investigations/reservoir Collect water use data Track groundwater levels system optimization (transmit to Water Dam safety Agricultural water Management) Flood protection efficiency planning Water rights regulation Water transfers Connect to science team and Delta Stewardship State Water Authority Council State-owned Runs State Water Project Retains water rights Owns dams, canals and pumps, hydroelectric assets Independent board Delta Stewardship Water rights regulation Council Delta Conservation Plan Greater integration of operations and facilities Delta Conservancy Enforce Bay Delta Conservation Plan Interact with federal government on Delta issues Central Valley Project FIGURE 5-1One possible governance structure for comprehensive water governance in the state of California, proposed by the Little Hoover Commission.
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From page 194... ...
in the con text of other needs such as flood risk management and navigation; · reconciling individual endangered species requirements with other priorities; · understanding the effects of levee failure on habitat conservation measures and water supplies; · assessing the effectiveness of adaptive management when the reli ability of water diversions is a goal (if reliability of diversions is a goal, the flexibility to manage adaptively might not be present) ; · understanding the effects of climate changealtered precipitation and runoff on reliability of water supply and related short- and long-term conservation measures; · evaluating long-term cost of habitat-conservation measures and wa ter-supply reliability measures in light of the principle that beneficia ries pay and with the value of the long-term investments of taxpayers and water users in mind; and · developing methods for assessing the costs and benefits of public investments in levee security resulting from protecting delta agricul ture, and methods for assessing whether and when to stop maintain ing the levees.
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From page 195... ...
Operations should be able to meet adaptive management goals and to routinely and frequently rebalance ecological protection with water supply reliability. The above considerations would apply to any new construction to manage water flows in and around the delta.
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From page 196... ...
Trade-offs are rarely analyzed or presented transparently. Such a process reflects inadequacies in leadership that if continued will fail to inspire the kind of public support essential to moving forward constructively.
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From page 197... ...
The examples include the Ruhrverband in the Ruhr River watershed in Germany,1 the Murray Darling Basin Authority in Australia,2 a study of long-term augmentation of the water supply of the Colorado River system (Colorado River Water Consultants 2008) , and the South Florida Water Management District and restoration of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem in Florida (USACE and SFWMD 1999, NRC 2006, 2008, 2010)
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From page 198... ...
Water planning and management for the delta occur in the context of statewide California water planning. The committee has considered a variety of institutional models and factors that illustrate some of the important attributes of an effective water-management approach, including a watershed-based scope, consideration of water resource sources and uses of both surface and groundwater, incorporation of water-quality considerations for all environmental and consumptive uses, coordination with existing agencies, the ability to conduct independent research and scientific analyses, a commitment to community engagement, and oversight of monitoring.
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From page 199... ...
. Recent multidisciplinary studies that tie together complex models to evaluate different climate change scenarios provide a model for future efforts on how to address the challenges these changes will present (Cloern et al.
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From page 200... ...
even suggested that science makes environmental controversies worse! The difficulties often revolve around a lack of clear articulation of values and goals.
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From page 201... ...
In the delta, one possible solution is that the Delta Stewardship Council's independent lead scientist job might be reframed to focus on leading and reporting out on the synthesis efforts, leaving management responsibilities to a separate leadership position. In general, nonscientist governance professionals have difficulty defining for scientists what they want or need to know.
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From page 202... ...
As a result of the lack of knowledge regarding the ecological functions in the delta, quantification of how various water-management options affect the ecosystem is not straightforward. Although the quantification of the water-supply needs for agricultural and urban users of the system with reasonable accuracy is possible, without clearly being able to include the regime of freshwater availability necessary to sustain desired components of the ecosystem, it is not possible to identify trade-offs and conduct multifaceted planning in balancing the goals of the water resources management in the delta system.
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From page 203... ...
Each "future" should be characterized by particular configuration of climatic regime, plausible physical system changes, water demands, and the ecological habitats. In such a setting, it is clear that water resources planning would demand flexibility not only in infrastructure but also water supply options, and dynamic operations.
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From page 204... ...
, the Clean Water Act of 1972 (particularly § 208) , and the Urban Water Management Planning Act of 1985, together with recent amendments, state funding for watershed planning activities, local groundwater planning, recent legislation on improving groundwater use databases, and a variety of other regulations and laws designed to improve water management.
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From page 205... ...
2008. Study of Long-Term Augmentation Options for the Water Supply of the Colorado River System.
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From page 206... ...
2010. Progress Towards Restoring the Everglades: The Third Biennial Review.
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