Measuring Water Sustainability in the US: Principles, Indicators, and Consequences

1. Measuring the Sustainability of Water Management in the U.S. Minnesota Water 2005 John R. Wells Minnesota Environmental Quality Board & Sustainable Water Resources Roundtable October 26, 2005

2. MinnesotaEnvironmental Quality Board • Governor’s Office (Chair) • 5 Citizens • Administration • Agriculture • Commerce • Employment & Economic Development • Health • Natural Resources • Water & Soil Resources • Pollution Control Agency • Transportation Staffed By…. Office of Geographic & Demographic Analysis Department of Administration

3. Sustainable Water Resources Roundtable A national collaboration of federal, state, local, corporate, non-profit and academic interests

4. SWRR Progress • A conceptual framework for understanding the world • Principles, criteria and indicators to support decision-making • Collaboration on research needs

5. Principles of Water Sustainability • The value & limits of water People need to understand the value and appreciate the limits of water resources and the risks to people and ecosystems of unbounded water and land use

6. Principles of Water Sustainability • Shared responsibility Because water does not respect political boundaries, its management requires shared consideration of the needs of people and ecosystems up- and downstream and throughout the hydrologic cycle

7. Principles of Water Sustainability • Equitable access Sustainability suggests fair and equitable access to water, water dependent resources and related infrastructure

8. Principles of Water Sustainability • Stewardship Managing water to achieve sustainability challenges us while meeting today’s needs to address the implications of our decisions on future generations and the ecosystems upon which they will rely

9. General Systems Perspective Biophysical Environment Economic System Ecosystems Social System

10. Fisheries Systems Perspective Biophysical Environment Aquatic Ecosystem Economic System Social System for Fishery Management Economic System for Fishing Social System

11. Ecosystem Processes& SocietalDrivers Ecosystems Society Natural Processes: Disturbance & Response Energy Cycling Hydrologic Cycle & Flow Regime Materials Cycling Social & Economic Drivers: Economic Development Energy Production and Use Land Use Population Growth Transportation Ecosystem goods & services time time Human alterations & discharges

12. Indicator Categories

13. Social Institutional Capacity: Water law and rights Regulation of appropriations Social Infrastructural Capacity: Drinking water and wastewater treatment capacity Gross Water Availability: Precipitation Water in the Environment: Quality/Quantity streams, lakes, wetlands & aquifers Net Water Availability: Water available for people Water Withdrawals for Human Uses: Total withdrawals for all purposes Water Uses And Reuses Treatment Treatment Return Flows: Return water & physical, chemical and biological pollutant loading System Capacities and Their Allocation Example Indicators

14. Consequences of Water Allocation Water in the Environment Water Uses And Reuses: Municipal and industrial use Water Withdrawals For Human Uses Return Flows Environmental Conditions: Water quality Biodiversity Water Dependent Resource Uses: Fish consumption Water Dependent Resources and Conditions: Fish stocks Aesthetics Water Dependent Resource Harvests: Fish landings Water Condition Dependent Uses: Sailing Example Indicators

15. Effects on People Water Uses: Cropland irrigation Value of Goods and Services Produced with Water: Value of produce and processed foods Health Effects: Nutritional value Exposure to toxic chemicals Incidence of drowning Value of Goods and Services Produced With Resources: Food & recreational value Water Dependent Res. Uses: Fishing Water Condition Dependent Uses: Sailing Value of Uses Dependent on Water Conditions: Boating expenditures Recreational value Example Indicators

16. Information Pyramid Fewer Pieces Of Information Stories Criteria Indicators More Pieces Of Information Measurements

17. Major Categories of Indicators • System capacities and their allocation • Consequences of water allocation • Effects on people • Underlying processes and driving forces • Composite sustainability assessment

18. System capacities and their allocation • Gross water availability • Total withdrawals for human uses • Water remaining in the environment after withdrawals and consumption • Water quality in the environment • Total capacity to deliver water supply (i.e., infrastructure capacity) • Social and organizational capacity to manage water sustainably

19. Consequences of the way we allocate water capacity • Environmental conditions • Resource conditions • The quality and quantity of water for human uses • Resources withdrawals and use

20. Effects on people of the conditions and uses of water resources • Human conditions – measures of the value people receive from the uses of water and the costs they incur, including health effects

21. Underlying processes and driving forces • Land use • Residual flows – the flow of water and wastes back into the water system • Social and economic processes – the systems people and organizations develop to influence water resources and sustainability • Ecosystem processes

22. Composite sustainability assessment • Water use sustainability – in each watershed, the ratio of water withdrawn to renewable supply • Water quality sustainability – in each watershed, indicators of the suitability of water quality for the uses desired, including ecosystem uses

23. Figure 4.1.1. Available Precipitation Source: S. Roy, K. Summers and R. Goldstein

24. Ground Water Levelsin the High Plains Figure 4.3.1

25. Figure 4.4.1 Nitrate Load Carried by Major Rivers Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency State of the Environment 2006 report

26. Figure 4.12.3 Watersheds with a High Potential for Pesticide and Nitrogen Leaching

27. Figure 4.8.1 Capacity of Water Resources to Support Human Use Source:U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Water Quality Inventory 1998 Report

28. Figure 4.11.1 Population Lacking Complete Plumbing Source: Rural Community Assistance Partnership 2004

29. Figure 4.11.2 Reported Incidence of Waterborne Disease

30. Figure 4.16.1 Water Use Sustainability Withdrawals as a % of available precipitation, 1995 Figure 4.16.1 Total Freshwater Withdrawal in 1995 (as a percent of available precipitation) Source: S. Roy, K. Summers and R. Goldstein

31. Collaboration on Research Needs • Process research • Decision support tools • Data inventory • Technologies • Value of water in policy decisions • Better law & policies • Human resources • Collaboration

32. Outreach • 300 active participants from federal, state and local governments; corporations; nonprofits and academia • Meetings in California, Minnesota, Michigan, Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia • Publications and conference presentations

33. Future Work • Complete, revise and refine indicators • including indicators scalable to national, state and local levels • Assist agencies • describing the need for programs to collect the information necessary for generating indicators • Increase representation • incorporating indicators of regional water management programs

34. Future Work, cont’d • Expand relationships with the scientific community • Consult with other programs on water related indicators • National Research Council Key National Indicator Initiative • Council on Environmental Quality • Heinz Foundation • Plan a National Forum

35. Contact Information • Email: john.wells@state.mn.us • www.eqb.state.mn.us • http://water.usgs.gov/wicp/acwi/swrr