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Water Supply & Water Treatment

Drought planning
(Mountain Democrat, August 25, 2005) Editorial. "What would El Dorado County do if there was another drought like the two years of July 1975 through June 1977? More importantly, how can the critical water shortage from such dry years be avoided? That was the subject of a series of study sessions sponsored by the El Dorado Irrigation District and the El Dorado County Water Agency." Click here

California Urban Water Management Plans (UWMPs) are due in 2005  Urban Water Management Plans (UWMP) are due to the Department of Water Resources (DWR) by the end of 2005. Some of the new components include factoring groundwater and desalination into water supply planning.  Rather than being a purely regulatory exercise, these plans provide a planning basis that can be used to obtain funding, not only for capital improvement plans (CIPs) but also for grant funding.  Read all about it Click Here

EPA Final Strategic Plan EPA has a new Strategic Plan charting a course for the Agency over the next five years (2004 - 2008). The new plan is organized around five key goals. The Office of Water has elements in Goals 2 & 4.

• Clean Air and Global Climate Change;

• Clean and Safe Water; (PDF, 497KB, 25 pgs)

• Land Preservation and Restoration;

• Healthy Communities and Ecosystems; and (PDF, 625KB, 31 pgs)

• Compliance and Environmental Stewardship.

USGS Report on Water Supply indicates  that America's water use has been stable since the mid-1980s despite population growth, a sign that conservation works, researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey said Thursday. Link to USGS report:
http://www.usgs.gov/public/press/public_affairs/
press_releases/pr1866m.html

Pentagon Report Describes Global Warming Dangers, 2004
An imminent scenario of catastrophic climate change is "plausible and would challenge United States national security in ways that should be considered immediately," according to a report commissioned by the Pentagon and obtained by media outlets in 2004.  To read the summary, report and other articles on global warming, click here

California Grant Funding update November 2004 What's the latest on Prop 50 grant funding and other programs?  Read all about it Click Here

Technical Papers:

Water Resources Management/Water Rights Strategies:
Water Quality Management - setting priorities to rehabilitate the Columbia River Slough in Portland
South Platte Decision Support System - identifying alternative strategies to help Colorado allot water wisely.
Reconfiguration of Upper Colorado Water Projects - developing alternatives to managing water rights.
Water Resources Plan: Lake Havasu City, Arizona - identifying options for future water supply development.

Water Supply Planning and Optimization
Coordinated-Facilities Water Availability Studies - analyzing alternative water allocation strategies to help the Colorado Water Conservation Board comply with an Endangered Species Recovery Program
Rapid Planning and Design Saves Water Supply - identifying and evaluating alternative water supply options for the Southern California Water Company.
Groundwater Recharge for Orange County, California - recharging an aquifer with highly purified, tertiary-treated wastewater.
Water Supply Evaluations - identifying and developing private groundwater sources in Texas.
Benefits of the United States National Plumbing Efficiency Standards - Paper co-written by Lisa Maddaus, P.E., on the benefits that would be lost if the National Plumbing Efficiency Standards were repealed.

Comprehensive Groundwater Resources
Water Supply Evaluations - identifying and developing private groundwater sources in Texas.
Streamlining the Aquifer Protection Permitting Process - facilitating permitting for Superior Mine in Arizona.
Groundwater Recharge for Orange County, California - assisting with permitting, design, and construction of a major project to recharge the aquifer with tertiary-treated wastewater.
 

Water Quality/Watershed/Stormwater/
NPDES/TMDL

  Few choices to rid New Orleans of poisoned water.

(BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (Reuters) - The toxic brew of chemicals and human waste in the New Orleans floodwaters will have to be pumped into the Mississippi River or Lake Pontchartrain, raising the specter of an environmental disaster on the heels of Hurricane Katrina, experts say.

EPA to study damage of perchlorate in water
(Water Tech Online, August 25, 2005) "The EPA plans to launch a $42 million study examining the extent of damage done to drinking water supplies by a component of rocket fuel, according to a news release from the National Resources Defense Counsel (NRDC)." Click here

EPA arsenic panel to advise on new research
(WaterWeek, August 24, 2005) "Members of USEPA's expert panel to examine arsenic risks reviewed their charge during an Aug. 11 teleconference in preparation for a two-day meeting Sept. 11 and 12 when they will discuss critical new documents in detail." Click here

EPA's: National water quality assessment database:
The Office of Water released the first-ever interactive database of state water quality assessment data, which provides the public with easy Web access to watershed-based water quality information at the state and local levels. EPA is continuing to call for integrated reporting of 305(b) and 303(d) information. To review state by state information Click here.

Perchlorate: EPA has established an official reference dose (RfD) of 0.0007 mg/kg/day of perchlorate. This level is consistent with the recommended reference dose included in the National Academy of Science's January 2005 report. The new level equates to a health-based drinking water level of 24.5 ppb (ug/L). This value is 7 times higher than that currently used by USEPA Region 9. A reference dose is a scientific estimate of a daily exposure level that is not expected to cause adverse health effects in humans. Click here for the EPA summary: Perchlorate Summary

NPDES:
EPA has released 33 NPDES profiles The remaining profiles will be released in early 2005. The NPDES profiles can be viewed at:
Click Here to see profiles

Case Studies To assist the 5000 municipalities that are currently building programs to prevent and control stormwater pollution, EPA has developed 17 case studies that highlight successful municipal approaches to the six minimum measures that are outlined in the NPDES Stormwater Phase II regulations. Click here to read case studies Most of the case studies are drawn from local governments that implemented the Stormwater Phase I requirements in the 1990s.

EPA: Final Guidance document on Watershed-based NPDES permitting: To read the Final Guidance document, Click here

For more background, read the letter outlining EPA policy to take a watershed approach: Committing EPA's Water Program to
Advancing the Watershed Approach

EPA Issues New Watershed Trading Handbook: Click Here Water quality trading has gained increasing attention as an innovative approach for achieving water quality goals at lower cost. Where it is the appropriate tool, water quality trading (WQT) is a powerful and effective market-based approach to cleaner water. EPA recently published a new document on water quality trading to add to the toolkits of water quality managers and watershed stakeholders to help make cost-effective pollutant reductions that achieve water quality standards. 

Technical Papers:

Watershed Management /Source Protection
Watershed Management Plan Protects City Water Supply - helping the City of Aurora, Colorado realize its vision of a multiple-use watershed basin supplying high-quality potable water.
Source-Control Strategies Protect Against Eutrophication - helping local agencies and citizens restore and protect Cascade Reservoir, one of Idaho's most valuable water resources.
Streamlining the Aquifer Protection Permitting Process - facilitating permitting for Superior Mine in Arizona.
Source Water Protection Planning - helping Salt Lake City protect its water supply.
Improving Water Quality Using Lake Oxygenation - implementing an innovative aeration system to eliminate hypoxia at California's Comanche Reservoir.
Non-Point Environmental Benefits Projects - Paper written by John LaGorga, Senior Engineer, involving development of a comprehensive watershed model and performance of non-point source (NPS) environmental-benefit projects in the Onondaga Lake, NY, watershed.

TMDL/NPDES Permitting Advocacy
NPDES Metals Compliance PAG - targeting and implementing measures to achieve permit compliance for the City of Colorado Springs, CO
Watershed Management Tools Safeguard Lake Lanier - developing a comprehensive set of analytical tools to ensure water quality in Lake Lanier, Georgia.
Integrated Watershed Management Plan - working with regulators to develop a TMDL for phosphorus in Cherry Creek Reservoir, Colorado.
Adaptive Management Achieves TMDL Goals Quickly and Cost-effectively - developing a fair and equitable science-based solution to produce real water quality improvements in Snake River.
Storm water Runoff Management at Caltrans - meeting unprecedented NPDES requirements for managing storm water runoff in California.

Storm water Permitting and Compliance
San Clemente Urban Runoff Management Program - implementing multi-level treatment BMPs to achieve storm water management
Agricultural Best Management Practices - evaluating the effectiveness of BMPs in reducing non-point source pollution in the Onondaga Lake Watershed, NY
Wetland Treatment of Storm water for the Everglades - designing a 6,400 constructed-wetland treatment area to cleanse agricultural runoff of excessive nutrients.
Storm water Runoff Management at Caltrans - meeting unprecedented requirements for managing storm water runoff in California.
Storm water Utility Funding - Paper written by Grant Hoag, P.E., Manager of Financial Services, which describes how to develop a Financing Master Plan for a storm water program.
 

Ecosystem Restoration

Wetlands project serves as model for California
(Modesto Bee, August 25, 2005) "Along this city's scenic shoreline, construction crews are driving piles, moving dirt and clearing the way for Southern California's largest-ever wetlands restoration." Click here.

Blanco launches drive for wetlands support
(Times Picayune, August 25, 2005) "Louisiana is in good financial shape to begin the job of rebuilding its disappearing coastline, Gov. Kathleen Blanco said Wednesday, although there are nagging concerns about how the state can spend $540 million in federal money included in the energy appropriations bill approved in July. " Click here.

Ecosystem restoration too late for birds, fish
(Associated Press, August 17, 2005) "The northerly winds that sustain the Pacific Coast's marine ecosystems have returned, but their arrival came about four months late - too late for fish and birds that couldn't survive the unseasonably warm waters." Click here.

What does the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have to say about Ecosystem Restoration? Click here.
On April 6, 2005, the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) held its annual water conferences in Tucson, Arizona,  “Water and the Environment: The Role of Ecosystem Restoration.” The keynote speaker, Mr. Bill Dawson, Director for Civil Works Planning and Policy for the US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), cautioned against simply adding-on environmental considerations to a developed project like the “extras” added to sweeten a car sale---that the environmental aspects of a project must be considered part of the whole. Dawson describes the CORPS ENVIRONMENTAL OPERATING PRINCIPLES and how Corps projects fit within this new strategic approach using examples from the Florida Everglades, the Louisiana Coastal Area and various projects in Arizona.

EPA and Army Corps Issue Wetlands Decision
"Today we are reaffirming and bolstering protections for wetlands, which are vital for water quality, the health of our streams and wildlife habitat,” said EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt.

Wild by Design:
Watch the video, Wild by Design to see restoration in action. Clean Water Services is a public utility committed to protecting water resources in the Tualatin River Watershed.   (Many thanks to Mark Jockers, Public Affairs Manager, Clean Water Services, Oregon) Get a look at how Clean Water Services is protecting and restoring Oregon’s Tualatin River Watershed in the video, Wild by Design – Restoring Urban Streams and Wetlands, available at: www.cleanwaterservices.org/wildbydesign

EPA and NOAA sign MOU to protect coastal areas
The new coastal communities partnership will seek to deliver the latest information and technology to communities for reusing previously developed land and providing more housing and transportation choices, while preserving critical natural areas and limiting air and water pollution. These techniques are important strategies for limiting air and water pollution, preserving land and enhancing quality of life. The agreement will help NOAA and EPA achieve national goals for better management of coastal resources and protection of human health and the environment.

Coastal watersheds (areas draining into bays and oceans) are growing rapidly, with 55 percent of the U.S. population already living within 50 miles of a coast. Moreover, in the past 20 years, the rate of all land development nationwide has grown 30 percent, twice the rate of population growth of 15 percent. Details:Wild by Design

White House releases President Bush's response to the U.S. Commission's report on Ocean Policy:
The president agrees with the commission that protecting and enhancing ocean and coastal resources is critical and identifies activities that closely align with a number of EPA's priorities. Among those activities are three programs: The president's executive order on the Great Lakes, the president's wetlands initiative and the BEACH Act.  Click here to read the pre-release report.

Technical Papers:

Constructed Wetlands/Ecosystem Restoration

South Bay Salt Ponds Restoration - multi agency team restoration of 15,000 acres of salt ponds that surround San Francisco Bay

Constructed Wetlands Wastewater Reclamation - reducing nutrients in the recycled water supply for the Carlsbad Municipal Water District
Constructed-Wetland Wastewater Treatment - using wetlands to "polish" treated wastewater in Cle Elum, Washington.
Wetland Treatment of Storm water for the Everglades - designing a 6,400 constructed-wetland treatment area to cleanse agricultural runoff of excessive nutrients.
Design and Start-up of Constructed Wetlands - Constructed wetlands have considerable potential for use in upgrading treatment pond systems. In 1998 the pond system used by the City of Cle Elum.

Lake and Reservoir Management
Improving Water Quality Using Lake Oxygenation - implementing an innovative aeration system to eliminate hypoxia at California's Comanche Reservoir.
Source-Control Strategies Protect Against Eutrophication - helping local agencies and citizens restore and protect Cascade Reservoir, one of Idaho's most valuable water resources.
Watershed Management Tools Safeguard Lake Lanier - developing a comprehensive set of analytical tools to ensure water quality in lake Lanier, Georgia.
Improving Raw Water Quality with Hypolimnetic Oxygenation -  Summertime hypolimnetic anoxia is a common phenomenon in productive drinking water reservoirs. and can result in a number of negative environmental consequences.

 

Voice - In Our Opinion

Meeting the Challenge of Funding California Storm water Programs
Storm water Funding APWA

California city public works directors are looking at the renewal of their local permit for storm water discharge rules. Throughout Southern California the directors are discovering that these new permits come with higher price tags and smaller pollutant discharge limits.

The real size of the price tag is only now becoming apparent.  In January 2003, the University of Southern California issued a study on the Los Angeles Regional Board’s recently adopted storm water rules, concluding that the equivalent of $305 to $2,300 per year per household would be required to fund the storm water programs under the permit.  Moreover, the report identified economic impacts, including a significant loss of jobs within the region.  Although community activists are saying that the environmental costs and loss of the beach tourism dollars from failing to comply are even higher, the fact remains that hard dollars are needed to comply. It will fall upon the cities, and in particular the inland cities, to develop these hard dollars.  In contrast, the immediate benefit of these programs will be to the coastal environment and to tourism economies. 

The hard dollars needed for the programs won’t be coming from the strapped budgets of California cities, and must be raised from new sources of funding.  One funding mechanism will require new fees to be paid by parcel owners, with their consent.  Since 1996 and the passage of Proposition 218, new funding requires a majority approval of the affected parcel-owners for new property-related fees.

A recent study published by the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory predicts that, within this century, average temperatures will rise everywhere, especially in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges. This rise in temperature, says the study, will cause significant changes in local weather patterns. Warmer winters will result in earlier snowmelt runoff, overlapping the storm season. Since most reservoirs do not have the storage capacity to handle both storm water and melting snow pack runoff , global warming could have major implications for flood control and storage of water for summer use.

The university study came out on the heals of an EPA climate report detailing specific and far-reaching effects global warming will inflict on the American environment. The report places most of the blame for recent global warming on human actions -- mainly the burning of fossil fuels that send heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Predicted effects include the disruption of snow-fed water supplies, more stifling heat waves and the permanent disappearance of Rocky Mountain meadows and coastal marshes. It does not, however, propose any major shift in the administration's policy on greenhouse gases. Instead, it recommends adapting to inevitable changes. And in March, the Pentagon released its report:
Pentagon Report Describes Global Warming Dangers, March 2004
An imminent scenario of catastrophic climate change is "plausible and would challenge United States national security in ways that should be considered immediately," according to a report commissioned by the Pentagon and obtained by media outlets in February 2004.  To read the summary, report and other articles on global warming, click here

Predictions of earlier snowmelt runoff in the two reports are particularly worrisome to western states where water supplies are already stretched thin in normal years. Most rivers in the West and all major rivers in California already have reservoirs whose operation must balance a myriad of competing demands including evacuation to capture seasonal floodwaters; releases for electrical power production, recreation, and in-stream flow requirements; and storage for agricultural and urban water supplies during summer and drought periods. The electricity crisis of the early 2002s has increased pressures to maximize hydropower production, particularly during peak summer demand periods. Meanwhile, endangered species and riparian habitat concerns have increased the need to release water for environmental benefits, including maintaining the water quantity and water quality in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay and Delta. Finally, rapid population growth is increasing urban water demands at a time when construction of new dams is politically infeasible. The prospect of earlier snowmelt and more erratic runoff patterns threatens to further tax the already overburdened water infrastructure.

In our opinion, the reports' conclusions should spur further efforts by forward-thinking water suppliers in the West to develop projects that facilitate conjunctive use, which is the integrated management of both surface water and groundwater. With increasingly capricious surface water supplies, those water agencies that develop the ability to optimally use a mix of surface and groundwater will be best prepared for the threat of drought as well as the related effects of global warming.

Conjunctive use often requires additional infrastructure and /or regional cooperative partnerships to facilitate the use of surface water during seasonal wet periods and above average precipitation years, with the ability to draw on groundwater supplies during seasonal dry periods and drought cycles. Groundwater basins can thus provide the increased water storage capacity that water agencies can utilize to mitigate the effects of global warming. However, most groundwater basins are heavily used now and many are already in overdraft, a situation in which groundwater pumping exceeds natural recharge and long-term water levels decline. Most groundwater basins therefore can only be relied upon to provide greater drought insurance if measures are taken to artificially increase groundwater recharge.

Artificial recharge can be accomplished during periods of water surpluses by either active recharge (through surface recharge basins or injection/extraction wells, which is also known as aquifer storage and recovery) or by the delivery and use of surface water by users who would otherwise pump groundwater (known as in-lieu recharge). Depending on the individual location, the sources of water for groundwater recharge may include not only storm water and spring runoff from snowmelt, but recycled municipal or industrial wastewater as well (with proper treatment to address water quality issues).

Martin Steinpress is Brown and Caldwell's national Groundwater Resources Service Leader and chief hydrogeologist. A California Registered Geologist and Certified Hydrogeologist, Steinpress has provided technical leadership on numerous groundwater resources projects across California and the Western United States. He specializes in groundwater management, conjunctive use, surface recharge, injection wells, water quality issues and strategic planning.

What's your opinion? Send your thoughts on these issues to Cindy Paulson, Brown and Caldwell's water resources product manager, for posting on this website. CPaulson@brwncald.com