Building a Legacy:
Integrated Water Resource Management in
Damascus, Oregon
WBG052710054733PDX 349800.GS.01.02 60110 kk
Steve Gaschler - City of Damascus
Mark Anderson, Emily Callaway, and David Green - CH2M HILL
Oregon Water Conference
May 25, 2011
Agenda
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Introduction to Damascus, Oregon
Public Facilities and Ecosystem Services
Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)
Findings
• Lessons learned
Damascus, Oregon - Geography
City of Damascus
Graphics courtesy Wikimedia, City of
Damascus
Damascus, Oregon - Watersheds
City of Damascus
Graphics courtesy Wikimedia, City of
Damascus
Building a new community in the foothills
The City Now
The City in the Future
Jul-64
Oct-62
Jan-61
Apr-59
Jul-57
Oct-55
Jan-54
Apr-52
Jul-50
Oct-48
Jan-47
Apr-45
Jul-43
Oct-41
Jan-40
Apr-38
Jul-36
Oct-34
Jan-33
Apr-31
Jul-29
Oct-27
Jan-26
Apr-24
Jul-22
Oct-20
Jan-19
Apr-17
Jul-15
Oct-13
Jan-12
As population grows – so does water demand
50,000 residents
Water Demand >10 MGD
Existing natural areas provide ecosystem services
Carbon sequestration Air
purification
Food and timber
production
Stormwater
management
Erosion control
Fish and wildlife habitat
Pollination
Recreation
Aesthetic,
cultural, and
spiritual
resources
Groundwater
recharge
Thermal regulation
Water quality management
Water supply
Public Facilities and Ecosystem Services
Building a Legacy in Damascus:
• In an uncertain future, what strategies are most resilient?
• Is integrated water management desirable?
• Can a plan meet needs now and in 100 years?
A Conventional System
• Relies on limited
supply
• Not efficient or
multi-purpose
• Rooted in past
practices
An Integrated Water Management System
• Less reliant on
outside sources
• Managed
efficiently for
multiple benefits
• Anticipates the
future of urban
water use
IWRM Plan
Guiding
Principles and
Evaluation
Criteria
Identify possible
scenarios
Construct
decision support
tool
Compare
scenarios to
criteria
Make preliminary
recommendation
Refine
recommended
solution
IWRM is inherently multi-dimensional
A collaborative approach is needed for decisionmaking
Criteria
Citizen Group
Weighting
Stakeholder
Weighting
Combined
Regulatory
compliance
11%
26%
17%
Environmental
health and
sustainability
40%
24%
33%
Growth and
development
23%
22%
23%
Public acceptance
26%
28%
27%
Scenarios – Options for import and export
Scenarios – Local basin water balance
Decision support tools are needed for system
analysis
Model Architecture – User interface
Model Architecture - Visualization
Numerous scenarios under consideration
Scenario
Description
1. In-basin
All supply and treatment provided within
each basin
2. Inter-basin
All supply and treatment provided within
Damascus
3. External services with dual distribution
All supply and treatment provided by
outside providers with reclaimed water
4. External services
All supply and treatment provided by
outside providers (no reclaimed water)
5. Blended services
Some new Damascus facilities, some
external services
Findings – Demand Reduction is important
12
10
MGD
8
Supply
6
Demand
4
2
0
Conventional Landscape Irrigation
Limited Landscape Irrigation
Findings – Reclaimed water is important
100%
Groundwater
90%
80%
70%
Domestic &
Commercial
Wastewater
65%
60%
50%
Reclaimed
Water
40%
30%
20%
Inflow and
Infiltration
35%
10%
0%
Surface Water
Findings – Storage is necessary
900
800
Storage Volume (MG)
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
1 - In-Basin
2 - Interbasin whole city 3 - External Services with 4 - External Services - no
Dual Distribution
reclaimed water
Sample Results
Uncertainty
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Climate variability
Indoor potable water conservation
Groundwater availability
Differences in service provider costs
Changes to landscaped area
Others that can’t be quantified:
– Regulatory change
– Political climate
– Etc.
Key Points of a recommendation
• Flexibility for the long term
– to adapt to changing regulations
– to accommodate growth phases
– to work with service providers
• Implementable in the short term
– Complies with current regulations
– Meets immediate needs in areas likely to develop first
IWRM lessons learned - Part 1
• Local supplies can meet demands, but rely heavily on
reclaimed water
• Storm water runoff is a resource; so is collection system
infiltration and reclaimed wastewater – ownership is an
issue
• Summer demands and in-stream flow requirements can
be met with the help of storage – with regional benefits
IWRM lessons learned - Part 2
• Demand and supply are linked by re-use. Conservation
efforts are positive up to a ~25% reduction of indoor use
• Non-potable demands drive system sizing; limit
landscaping requirements and reduce infrastructure
costs
• Regulatory uncertainty requires long term flexibility –
avoid stranded assets!
• Holistic land use planning includes reducing development
footprint and utilizing ecosystem services to maintain
system health
Build the purple pipe
Requiring non-potable distribution pipe for new
development is critical for:
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–
–
–
–
Capturing resources that will become more valuable over time
Aligning water quality with use, including fire flows
Managing public perceptions about potable re-use
Complying with current regulations
Managing variable supplies in the future
– Changing the way we use water
IWRM Plan – Current status
Guiding
Principles and
Evaluation
Criteria
Identify possible
scenarios
Construct
decision support
tool
Compare
scenarios to
criteria
Make preliminary
recommendation
Refine
recommended
solution
A possible legacy for Damascus…
• Create policies to encourage conservation and re-use
• Plan for infrastructure that can adapt to the future –
potable re-use, regional scarcity, and innovative
technology
• Build systems that make efficient use of resources that
are locally available – especially cooperating with natural
systems in place
• Work with regional neighbors and share benefits
Acknowledgements
• City of Damascus, Oregon
• Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
• Oregon Department of Land Conservation and
Development
WBG052710054733PDX 349800.GS.01.02 60110 kk
Questions?