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

Urban Water InstituteAnnual Water Conference

August 15, 2014

Gary BardiniDeputy DirectorDepartment 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

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

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Statewide Drought Conditions

Extreme Drought 82%

Exceptional Drought 58%

United States Drought Monitor August 5, 2014

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Three Year Snowpack & Run Off

April 1 Snowpack Yearly Runoff

2012 52% 62%

2013 42% 60%

2014 25% 36%

Sierra Snowpack = 1/3 of the State’s total water supply

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

% Avg % Cap

Shasta 33 48

Oroville 34 48

Folsom 40 59

San Luis 20 43

Folsom Lake – Jan 2014

Oroville – Jan 2014

Aug 11, 2014

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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

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Governor’s Drought Proclamation• Conservation – 20%• Water Contingency Plans• State Agencies • Water Transfers• Consolidate Place of Use• Shovel Ready Projects• Notice on Diversions• WQCP – Cold Water, WQ• Drinking Water Assistance• Groundwater Report

• Well Drilling / Local Impacts• CDFA Website• DFW – Contingency Plans,

Fish• Delta Actions• Climate Forecasting• CalFire – Staff and Action• Task Force – Food, Money,

Services• Task Force - Monitor

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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)

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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

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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

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Proposed Public Investments:California Water Action Plan (1/27/14) and Proposed Water Bond (08/13/14)

Historical Finance Categories CA Water Action Plan AB 1471/SB 866

1. Make conservation a California way of life 0.100

2. Increase regional self-reliance and integrated water management across all levels of government 1.2355. Manage and prepare for dry periods 0

6. Expand water storage capacity and improve groundwater management 2.8004. Protect and restore important ecosystems 1.4075

7. Provide safe water for all communities 1.520

Flood Management8. Increase flood protection 0.395

3. Achieve the co-equal goals for the Delta 0.0875

9. Increase operational and regulatory efficiency 0

Sustainable Financing through Integration and Alignment

10. Identify sustainable and integrated financing opportunities 0

TOTAL7.545$

Delta Management and Operation

Water Quality and Ecosystem Restoration

Water Reliability

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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

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El Nino for Winter 2014/15?

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/sto/climate/ENSO.php

• 65 percent probability forming in the fall/winter.

• No strong correlation and above-normal

precipitation for interior Northern California

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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

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“When the well is dry, we know the worth

of water”

– Benjamin Franklin

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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

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State Water Project AllocationsSWP 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.

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Drought Impacts: 18 Counties in a State of Emergency due to Drought

• Glenn• Inyo• Kern• Kings• Lake• Madera• Mendocino• Merced• Modoc• San Joaquin• San Luis

Obispo

• Santa Barbara

• Siskiyou• Sonoma• Sutter• Tulare• Tuolumne• Yuba

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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)

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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

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Governor’s Interagency Drought Task Force

Meets weeklyEstablished via Governor Brown’s December 17th letter to agenciesOne week reporting periodMultiple state agencies involved in addition to above including:

Department of Public HealthEmployment Development DepartmentDepartment of General Services

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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

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Emergency Drought Barriers

• Temporary Rock Barriers

• Permits Required

• Agency Consultations

• Limit Saltwater Intrusion

Sutter Slough

Steamboat Slough

West False River