DevelopingtheSoutheastRegionalDroughtEarlyWarning

System(RDEWS)

ChadMcNu>andLisaDarbyNOAA/NIDISProgramOffice

Boulder,CO

ACFBasin‐Background•  5Corps‐operateddams

•  11Damsownedandoperatedbypowercompanies

•  BufordDamconstructedfor–  Floodcontrol,hydropower,navigaPon

•  Atleast20yearsofliPgaPonregardingallocaPonofwaterinthebasin

–  MulP‐DistrictLiPgaPon–  July2009MagnusonRuling

•  TheCorpsofEngineersshouldhaveobtainedcongressionalapprovalbeforeallowingAtlantatowithdrawwaterfromLakeLanierfortheMetroAtlantawatersupply

•  TheparPeshave3yearsfromthisrulingtoobtainCongressionalapprovaltoreallocatethewateroragreetosomeotherresoluPon

•  IntheabsenceofaresoluPon,BufordDamoperaPonswillreverttothebaselineoperaPonsofthemid‐70s

–  July2010MagnusondismissedFlorida’sargumenttousetheEndangeredSpeciesActtodictatewaterflowintotheApalachicola

–  Thisjustin…TheCorpsdeniedGeorgia’srequesttoincludewaterusageinthewatercontrolmanualforBufordDam

CommonaliPesamongthethreesub‐basins

•  Educa&onandCommunica&on–  PeopleacrossthebasinagreethateducaPonandcommunicaPonregarding

droughtneedsimprovement•  Generalpublic,lawmakers,poliPcians

–  DroughtinformaPonneedstocomefromatrustedsourceinaneasy‐to‐understandway

•  Improvedinterac&onswiththeCorps–  Inputintowatercontrolmanual

–  Datasharing–  CommunicaPon

•  Data–  ImproveddisseminaPonandQC/QA

CommonaliPesamongthethreesub‐basins

•  ACFBasinwebinarsandClimateOutlooks–  WhatarethecurrentcondiPons?

–  WhataretheprojecPons?

–  WhatarethecurrentandanPcipatedimpacts?

•  DroughtIndex–  Canabasin‐widedroughtindexbeestablished?

•  Resolvediscrepanciesregardinggroundwater–  Howmuchgroundwateriswithdrawn?

–  Howfrequentlyshouldwithdrawalsberecorded?–  Improvedmodeling

•  Presenta&onofInforma&on–  Basin‐scalegraphicsavailablefromonewebsite

–  Historicalcontext

FuturePlans

•  Oct/NovFullBasinMeePng– ReconcileinformaPonfromthethreesub‐basins– Agreeon3‐4specificstepsondevelopingaRDEWSintheACF

•  ACF‐ClimateOutlookForum– Seasonalclimateassessment– PotenPalimplicaPonsofoutlook– StakeholdercommunicaPonandcapacitybuilding– EvaluaPon:werewesuccessful