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Chapter 14: Water Use Conflicts

Chapter 14: Water Use Conflicts. Reasons for Water Use Conflicts Case Studies California Texas Panhandle Middle East Alabama and Florida vs. Georgia Tragedy of the Commons. Reasons for Water Use Conflicts. Population Growth Demand for water increased 900% in 1900s

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Chapter 14: Water Use Conflicts

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  1. Chapter 14: Water Use Conflicts • Reasons for Water Use Conflicts • Case Studies • California • Texas Panhandle • Middle East • Alabama and Florida vs. Georgia • Tragedy of the Commons

  2. Reasons for Water Use Conflicts • Population Growth • Demand for water increased 900% in 1900s • Inadequate drinking water (quality / quantity) • Growth in urban centers, takes rural water • Water Consumption Growth • More lawns, pools, washing machines, dishwashers, showers, toilets • Industrial and agricultural water use

  3. Water Conflicts • 47% of all land in river basins are within multiple countries • Few political boundaries are drawn along watershed lines • Upstream water users tend to hoard their water • Downstream users get less water, of poorer quality

  4. Good News - Bad News • Good News: • Increased water efficiencies • Better water treatment • More international coordination • Bad News: • Breakup of empires, such as Soviet Union • Climate change • Ethnic conflicts

  5. Water Conflicts • Pacific Institute (a nonprofit organization) maintains a Water Conflict Chronology • http://www.worldwater.org/conflict/

  6. California Water Conflicts • Within California • Northern vs. Southern • Agriculture vs. Urban • Coastal vs. Inland • With Neighbors => Colorado River • Upper Basin vs. Lower Basin • vs. Arizona • vs. Mexico

  7. California Population

  8. Northern California

  9. Wind Gap Pumping Plant, Tehachapi Range north of LA California Aqueduct

  10. Owens Valley Aqueduct

  11. Mono Lake

  12. Lower Colorado River

  13. Arizona-California Water War • For eight months in 1934, a contingent of National Guard troops occupied the Parker Dam site on the Colorado River and made preparations to repel a possible invasion from the west. • The battle was settled when the U. S. Supreme Court issued an injunction prohibiting Arizona from interfering with the construction of the dam. The dam was completed in 1938.

  14. Where’s the Next Water? • Given that the water from California and the surrounding states has all been spoken for... • Where should Southern California go next? a. Mexico d. Canada b. Pacific Northwest e. Alaska c. South Pole

  15. Any Other Great Ideas? Towing Icebergs Maybe?

  16. Texas Panhandle • Groundwater pumping from the Ogallala • By 1990, 25% of the water was gone • Remaining water was too expensive • 1,000,000 acres of farmland abandoned • Passed Senate Bill #1 in 1997 during a drought • Established regional planning groups • Develop long-range plans • Create Water Availability Models

  17. Texas “Law of Capture” • Allows users to pump as much as they can • T. Boone Pickens developed a plan to pump 200,000 Acre-Feet in the Panhandle of Texas and ship it to the thirsty cities • The cost to deliver to San Antonio is about $2.5 billion

  18. Texas Groundwater Districts • Texas now has 83 Groundwater Districts • No statewide system • Districts vary in how they are organized • Rarely deal with groundwater and surface water in an integrated fashion • 59 of districts are single-county • Many are so small they don’t have resources to carry out mission • Some districts have no source of funding S. Collier. 2006. Regional Institutions for Managing Water Resources. Georgia Southern University

  19. Middle East • Israeli (Jewish) - Palestinian (Muslim) • Sea of Galilee and Dead Sea are falling • Heavy salinization of water • Israel restricts water use by Arabs • Turkey is building large dams upstream • Syria and Iraq water supplies are being cut off • Egypt is worried about upstream uses • Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, etc.

  20. Water Use

  21. Alabama and Florida vs. Georgia

  22. Two Separate Disputes • ACT (Alabama - Georgia) • Alabama • Coosa • Tallapoosa • ACF (Alabama - Florida - Georgia) • Apalachicola • Chattahoochee • Flint • Almost all of the conflict has occurred in ACF

  23. ACF Issues • Georgia • Wants water for growth, both supply and wastewater dilution capacity • Thinks since it s the upstream state should have first rights • Alabama • Wants growth and hydropower • Doesn’t think it should be penalized for being downstream • Florida • Wants to protect Apalachicola Bay (oysters) and endangered river species (mussels and sturgeon)

  24. Stakeholders • Homeowner groups • Want to protect their land value and their environment • Power Companies • Want to protect their investments • Cities and Counties • Want to be able to grow • Environmentalists • Want to protect aquatic habitats • Farmers • Want water to irrigate

  25. Florida vs. Georgia • Farmers in Flint River basin pump water from Floridan aquifer and from Flint River and tributaries to irrigate • This reduces flow in the Flint, but the effect of groundwater withdrawals is poorly understoond • Flint River Drought Protection Act passed by GA legislature in 2000 established fund to pay farmers not to irrigate in a drought year • Implemented in 2001 and 2002

  26. Florida vs. Georgia • In separate case FL sued US Fish & Wildlife Service over Endangered Species Act in 2006 • COE operates four major dams along the ACF • Operations threaten Gulf sturgeon and rare mussel species • Reduced the area of flowing streams required for the endangered fat threeridge, the threatened purple bankclimber, and other mussels. • Critical spawning areas for Gulf sturgeon also have been left dry at times • FL says it doesn't advocate removing the dams • But it does demand that the Corps end its authorization of water use from reservoirs by upstream cities, including Atlanta • Case is Phase II of Magnuson court case

  27. Florida vs. Georgia • Interim operating plan is being used to control discharge from Jim Woodruff dam at FL-GA line • USFWS estimated in 2006 that mussels would survive with a minimum flow of 5,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) • This flow was set many years ago by Corps of Engineers for reasons other than mussels • Records dating back to 1929 show that river never fell below this level even in a drought • Plant Scholz (next slide) • To maintain 5,000 cfs at GA-FL line Corps of Engineers must release about 1,500 cfs from Lake Lanier

  28. Florida vs. Georgia • Part of the reason for maintaining 5,000 cfs is Plant Scholz, a coal-fired power plant just below FL-GA line that requires cooling water • At lower flows water uptake is difficult • Uses 130 million gpd to cool steam • Serves 19,000 customers and is critical to maintaining electrical grid in local area

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