Download Lester Snow, Director, California Department of Water Resources

Adapting Water Policy to
Meet Future Need
North Bay Watershed Association
April 4, 2008
Lester Snow
Director
Climate Change Impacts to Water
Resources
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Diminishing snowpack
More extreme weather patterns
Rising sea level
Higher air/water temperatures
impacting ecosystem health
Range of Snowpack Predictions by 2050
100
Unimpaired Runoff at Friant Dam
1,000 cfs
Changes in Peak Flows
San Joaquin River
75
50
San Joaquin River Runoff
Annual Maximum 1-Day Flow
25
0
1900
1905
1910
1915
1920
1925
1930
1935
1940
1945
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
Water Year
325
Unimpaired Runoff at Oroville Dam
300
275
250
225
Changes in Peak Flows
Feather River
1,000 cfs
200
175
150
125
100
Feather River Runoff
Annual Maximum 1-Day Flow
75
50
25
0
1900
1905
1910
1915
1920
1925
1930
1935
1940
1945
1950
1955
Water Year
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2000
2005
California Water Plan
Key Initiatives:

Integrated Regional Water Management
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Statewide Water Management
Integrated Regional Water Management
 Conservation
 Increased storage
 Water recycling
 Conjunctive
management
 Groundwater clean-up
 Floodplain
preservation
 Watershed
management
Proposition 84

$37

$73

$138
$57

$27
$52
$1 Billion for IRWM
Allocated to geographic areas –
not statewide
May be multiple IRWM regions
in a funding area
$100 million Interregional/
Unallocated
$60
$215
$114
$91
$ in millions
$36
The SacramentoSan Joaquin Delta
Sacramento
Sacramento
River
Redding
Stockton
San
Francisco
San
Francisco
Los Angeles
San Diego
San
Joaquin
River
Delta Challenges
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Subsidence
Earthquakes
Climate Change
Declining Species
Regulatory Uncertainty
Risk of Levee Failures
Urbanization/Population
Growth
Comprehensive Strategy for Adaptation

Regional Management Strategies
Fully implement IRWM
 Identify sustained funding for IRWM,
other local assistance projects
 Land use plans must incorporate
climate change

Comprehensive Strategy for Adaptation

Statewide Management
Strategies
Invest in resiliency of statewide
infrastructure
 Improve Delta conveyance
 Incorporate climate change into
planning processes
 Offset snowpack loss with
additional water storage
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Comprehensive Strategy for Adaptation
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Statewide Management Strategies (Continued)
Practice integrated flood management
 Coordinate reservoir reoperation
 Expand bypass system
 Protect the natural floodplain
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Comprehensive Strategy for Adaptation
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Increase Management
Effectiveness
Fund monitoring and data
collection
 Plan for sea level rise
 Focused research
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Questions?