Urban Water Institute
Annual Water Conference
August 15, 2014
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
Gary Bardini
Deputy Director
Department of Water Resources
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
California’s Drought
• 2014 third dry year statewide
• Statewide storage well below average
• Groundwater basins are being depleted
• Feb and Mar rain helped, but drought conditions
persist
• State and federal water projects restricted by
regulatory actions to protect the Delta
• Local conditions are degrading
• High level of local, State and federal coordination
• 2015 could also be dry
• More frequent or longer droughts are likely
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
Statewide Drought Conditions
Extreme Drought
82%
Exceptional Drought 58%
United States Drought Monitor
August 5, 2014
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
Three Year Snowpack & Run Off
Sierra Snowpack = 1/3 of the State’s total water supply
April 1 Snowpack
Yearly Runoff
2012
52%
62%
2013
42%
60%
2014
25%
36%
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
Current Reservoir Conditions
Folsom Lake – Jan 2014
% Avg
% Cap
Folsom
33
34
40
48
48
59
San Luis
20
43
Shasta
Oroville
Oroville – Jan 2014
Aug 11, 2014
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
Drought Impacts: Groundwater
• Spring 2010 – Spring 2014
• Red - decrease of more than 10 ft
• Orange - decrease of between
2.5 to 10 ft
• San Joaquin Valley Critical Impact
• Contributes to Subsidence
• Increased Well Drilling
• Deeper and Larger Wells
• Small Communities / Homes
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
Governor’s Drought Proclamation
• Conservation – 20%
• Well Drilling / Local Impacts
• Water Contingency Plans
• CDFA Website
• State Agencies
• DFW – Contingency Plans, Fish
• Water Transfers
• Delta Actions
• Consolidate Place of Use
• Climate Forecasting
• Shovel Ready Projects
• CalFire – Staff and Action
• Notice on Diversions
• Task Force – Food, Money,
Services
• WQCP – Cold Water, WQ
• Drinking Water Assistance
• Task Force - Monitor
• Groundwater Report
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
Drought Impacts: State Actions
• Executive Order B-21-13: Streamline water
transfers (May 2013)
• California Water Plan Update (draft Oct 2013)
• Interagency Drought Task Force (Dec 2013)
• Governor’s Drought Proclamation and Water
Action Plan (Jan 2014)
• Urgency Legislation providing $687.4 million
to support drought relief (Feb 2014)
• Governor’s Executive Order (Apr 2014)
• Drought Operations Plan (Apr 2014)
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
Improved Conditions in Spring
• Some Increased Supply
• Scaled Back Requests for Modified Delta Standards
• Limited Operational Flexibility
• Water Transfers
• Emergency Drought Barrier Installation on Hold
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
California Water Action Plan:
Actions for Reliability, Restoration and Resilience
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Conservation as a way of life
Regional self-reliance and IWM
Achieve co-equal goals for the Delta
Protect and restore ecosystems
Manage and prepare for dry periods
Expand storage and GW management
Safe water for all communities
Operational and regulatory efficiency
Sustainable and integrated financing
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
Proposed Public Investments:
California Water Action Plan (1/27/14) and Proposed Water Bond (08/13/14)
Historical Finance Categories
Water Reliability
AB 1471/SB 866
CA Water Action Plan
1. Make conservation a California way of life
0.100
2. Increase regional self-reliance and integrated water
management across all levels of government
5. Manage and prepare for dry periods
1.235
0
6. Expand water storage capacity and improve
groundwater management
2.800
1.4075
4. Protect and restore important ecosystems
Water Quality and Ecosystem
Restoration
Flood Management
7. Provide safe water for all communities
1.520
8. Increase flood protection
0.395
0.0875
Delta Management and
Operation
3. Achieve the co-equal goals for the Delta
9. Increase operational and regulatory efficiency
0
Sustainable Financing through
Integration and Alignment
10. Identify sustainable and integrated financing
opportunities
0
$
7.545
TOTAL
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
Possible Drought Actions for 2015
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Reduced Project Deliveries
Modified Delta Flow/Salinity Standards
State Water Board Curtailments
Drought Barrier Installation (one or more)
Mandatory Conservation
Increased Ground Water Use
Increased Oversight on Ground Water Use
Increased Mutual Aid
Increased Real-time Data and Information
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
El Nino for Winter 2014/15?
• 65 percent probability forming in the fall/winter.
• No strong correlation and above-normal
precipitation for interior Northern California
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/sto/climate/ENSO.php
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
Thank You
The governor asked all Californians to reduce
water consumption by 20 percent and referred
residents and water agencies to the Save Our
Water campaign -- www.saveourh20.org
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
“When the well is dry,
we know the worth
of water”
– Benjamin Franklin
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
Drought Impacts: Greatest Risks
• Health & safety and economic
– Catastrophic wildfires (e.g., Southern California in 2003 and
2007)
• Health & safety
– Impacts to small water systems in rural areas (including
wildfire damage)
• Environmental
– Continued San Joaquin Valley land subsidence, spawning beds
• Economic
– Minimal water allocations to some agricultural water users,
particularly in the San Joaquin Valley
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
State Water Project Allocations
SWP 5% April 2014
• In January, first time in the 54-year history of the
SWP that an allocation of zero was announced.
• SWP provides at least some of the water used by 25
million Californians.
• SWP water irrigates about 750,000 acres of
farmland.
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
Drought Impacts: 18 Counties in a State
of Emergency due to Drought
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
D R O U G H T
Glenn
Inyo
Kern
Kings
Lake
Madera
Mendocino
Merced
Modoc
San Joaquin
San Luis
Obispo
• Santa
Barbara
• Siskiyou
• Sonoma
• Sutter
• Tulare
• Tuolumne
• Yuba
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
Drought Impacts: Tribal Governments
in State of Emergency due to Drought
•
•
•
•
•
•
Hoopa Valley Tribe (Humboldt)
Yurok Tribe (Del Norte)
Tule River Tribe (Tulare)
Karuk Tribe (Siskiyou/Humboldt)
Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo (Mendocino)
Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation (Yolo)
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
Local Drought Task Forces
• Currently, 31 local task forces at the county
level
• Association of California Water Agencies
(ACWA) has a Drought Action Group that
includes many local agency representatives
from throughout the state
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
Governor’s Interagency
Drought Task Force
Meets weekly
Established via Governor Brown’s December 17th letter to agencies
One week reporting period
Multiple state agencies involved in addition to above including:
Department of Public Health
Employment Development Department
Department of General Services
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
Voluntary Water Transfers
• DWR streamlining process
– Improving contracting procedures for voluntary
transfers dependent on SWP facilities
– Requires a willing buyer and willing seller
– Facilitating fast-tracking of transfers with
appropriate supporting documentation
– Improving coordination and alignment with other
agencies SWRCB USBR
– Updated Web information:
– www.water.ca.gov/watertransfers
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E
Emergency Drought Barriers
• Temporary Rock Barriers
Sutter Slough
Steamboat Slough
• Permits Required
• Agency Consultations
West False River
• Limit Saltwater Intrusion
D R O U G H T
P R E P A R E D N E S S
&
R E S P O N S E