Tapping New Supplies

Developing New Water Options for Southern California

MWD serves a broad geographic area in Southern California that is heterogeneous in its clients' demand.  Meeting demand of a growing population and planning for more growth in the future has long been MWD's biggest challenge.

Add that up with contemporary restraints from environmental awareness and reliability issues of imported supply and the complexities of MWD's policies grow into a tangled web quickly.

A sampling of supply issues:

• On-going Colorado River Basin drought extending into decades.  
• Possible climate change makes annual/seasonal forecasting supply difficult, e.g. change in natural storage systems.
• Endangered species protection in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta System presents operational (pumping) restraints.  This causes uncertainty to clients supplies supplemental to MWD's.
• A dynamic regulatory atmosphere, including environmental review processes, permitting, recycled water programs, and seawater desalination projects (including waste products).
• Public perception of recycled water use, whether direct ("toilet-to-tap" / groundwater replenishment) or indirect (used as salt water buffers in aquifers or <golf course/public parks> landscape watering).

A few operational conundrums:

• Water-Energy nexus - costs and use including greenhouse gas production.
• Invasive species, e.g. Quagga Mussels, in conveyance systems increasing maintenance costs and reducing flexibility.  
• Increasing salinity demanding further treatment.

And of course, uncertainty of growth dynamics such as location and density of future growth.

The buzz phrase over past couple decades has been "Integrated Resource" planning.  In my opinion, this relies heavily on developing flexibility within MWD's operations.  

Conservation programs, as an example, adds a component of flexibility by reducing demand.  You can think of demand reduction as a supply addition.  Many of these programs have been in place for years as my wife would testify.  She remembers awareness programs when she was a young girl to turn off the water while brushing her teeth.

Not listed by MWD: Buying new technology for far away users outside of MWD's footprint.  This is becoming very popular in Western U.S. metro areas, just ask Las Vegas and Pat Mulroy.  They have offered to build a desalt plant for San Diego and/or Tijuana so Southern Nevada can use their share of the Colorado River Compact. 

Current Resources Identified:

• Conservation
• Local Resources (Recycling & Groundwater recovery)
• Seawater Desalination
• Stormwater
• Central Valley storage and transfers
• In-Region Groundwater Storage
• In-Region Surface Water Storage
• Colorado River Aqueduct
• State Water Project

Potential Resource Development:

Stormwater runoff in urban areas has long been overlooked as a potential resource in Southern California.

Listen to these stats!!!

... 1,000,000 acre-feet of urban runoff is generated within MWD's service area ...

... of that only 477,000 acre-feet is captured and recharged ...

... yet, 3,200,000 acre-feet of storage is available within MWD's service area ...

This could greatly buffer supply!!!

Last winter, I heard on an LA radio program that an awesome amount of water flows off of the San Gabriel mountains each year goes unused.  I am going to try to find the amount.

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Another potential option?  --  Graywater.  Plentiful resource at a minimal cost because it is not over-treated. Public backlash could stifle its use though.

...

And finally, one of my favorites (besides stormwater runoff):  Transfers. Shrewd and thoughtful planning can re-allocate water to more valuable usage.  This can occur within or outside of MWD's service area (e.g. between cities, between industries, or between wholesalers - MWD & SWP).

...

There are options!  Small options... but that can aggregate into a large solution!