Urban Water Institute Annual Water Conference August 15, 2014

1. Urban Water InstituteAnnual Water ConferenceAugust 15, 2014 DROUGHT PREPAREDNESS & RESPONSE Gary Bardini Deputy Director Department of Water Resources

2. 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

3. Statewide Drought Conditions Extreme Drought 82% Exceptional Drought 58% United States Drought Monitor August 5, 2014

5. Three Year Snowpack & Run Off Sierra Snowpack = 1/3 of the State’s total water supply

6. Current Reservoir Conditions Folsom Lake – Jan 2014 Oroville – Jan 2014 Aug 11, 2014

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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)

13. 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

14. 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

15. Proposed Public Investments:

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. “When the well is dry, we know the worth of water” – Benjamin Franklin

20. 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

21. 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.

24. 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

25. 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)

26. 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

27. 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

28. 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

29. Emergency Drought Barriers Sutter Slough Steamboat Slough • Temporary Rock Barriers • Permits Required • Agency Consultations • Limit Saltwater Intrusion West False River