When it comes to staying informed about Colorado River water supply management, knowledgeable professionals are just one connection away. Connect with like-minded professionals at the Southern California Water Coalition’s Quarterly Luncheon.

Speakers: 

• Robert Cheng, Assistant General Manager, Coachella Valley Water District
• Dan Denham, General Manager, San Diego County Water Authority
• Bill Hasencamp, Manager of Colorado River Resources, Metropolitan Water District
• Tina Shields,  Water Department Manager, Imperial Irrigation District

This event has ended but you can watch a video of the panel discussion on YouTube.

Watershed Moments: Insights Into Colorado River Water Management

Friday, July 28, 2023

12 to 2 p.m. PDT

Tickets are $100

Sponsorships are $2,500 (includes table for ten)

Location is The Crossings at Carlsbad, 5800 The Crossings Drive, Carlsbad, California 92008

Thank you to our luncheon sponsors:

• Brownstein
• Black and Veatch 
• M Strategic Communications 
• San Diego County Water Authority
• Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
• Coachella Valley Water District
• Imperial Irrigation District

Contact Julie Ackman for more information.

View the event flyer: https://socalwater.org/wp-content/uploads/Q3-2023-Flyer_with-speakers-and-sponsors.pdf

Buy tickets on EventBrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/southern-california-water-coalition-quarterly-luncheon-registration-647211516067

Check out photos below from our April 2023 Quarterly Luncheon to see what we’re all about!

The post Get informed on Colorado River water supply at the SCWC Quarterly Luncheon appeared first on Southern California Water Coalition.

Wilson emphasized the importance of this voluntary action for Southern California, stating that “After a tough couple of years, we’re having a deluge of promising news when it comes to California water. Southern California depends on striking the right equilibrium between vital water supplies from the Colorado River, the State Water Project and through local supplies such as recycled water, desalination, and groundwater and increased water use efficiency. This conservation plan, created through collaboration and not litigation, is critical to securing our water future.”

“At the end of the day, it’s all about balance. As a state and a region, we need to manage our water resources responsibly to ensure that we have enough water to meet our needs today and in the future. This consensus-based deal struck by the three governors and supported by all seven states is an essential step to help this critical resource and ensure that our communities have a reliable, safe water supply,” Wilson continued.

In addition to the conservation plan, other projects like the modernization of the State Water Project and Pure Water Southern California can aid in securing the area’s future water supply. The State Water Project modernization involves upgrades to the infrastructure to improve water delivery efficiencies, while Pure Water Southern California is a water recycling project that produces high-quality drinking water from treated wastewater.

The Lower Basin Plan has been submitted to the Bureau of Reclamation with all seven Colorado River Basin states supporting its evaluation as an action alternative within the Near-Term Colorado River Operations Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (Draft SEIS). The letter from the three governors to the U.S. Department of the Interior is at this link.

Established in 1984, the Southern California Water Coalition is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, public education partnership dedicated to informing Southern Californians about our water needs and our state’s water resources. Spanning Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino, Imperial, Riverside, Ventura and Kern counties, the SCWC’s members include representatives from business, government, agriculture, water agencies, labor and the general public.

The post Praise for Governors’ New Plan to Conserve and Protect Colorado River Supplies appeared first on Southern California Water Coalition.

Protecting Every Source: Southern California’s Water Story highlights the work that Southern California’s water agencies are doing to transform the regions’ water systems amidst a record drought. The video demonstrates how Southern California has become one of the most water-efficient regions in the world — diversifying our water supply portfolios to expand local water resources while protecting the health of our imported supplies.

“As climate change continues to make year-to-year hydrology less predictable, having a diversified water supply portfolio will help us adapt to meet the needs of our changing climate, and we want to make sure our ratepayers understand how that will happen,” said Paul Liu, SCWC Board Member and Managing Water Utility Engineer at LADWP. “This video will be a vital tool in dispelling the common misconception among Southern California residents that local water supplies will lead us to outgrow the need for imported water — this belief isn’t rooted in reality. Imported water will always be a vital piece of our portfolio.”

The video takes viewers on an animated journey, explaining the sources that make up Southern California’s water supplies. Viewers are shown the foundational importance of imported supplies, like those from the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Colorado River, as well as added strength provided through local water investments in stormwater capture, water recycling and groundwater recharge — and how each of these sources have been impacted by California’s changing climate.

“We’re proud to have LADWP’s support in the development of this resource,” said Charley Wilson, SCWC Executive Director. “SCWC members have been hard at work innovating and modernizing our region’s water systems and it’s important that the communities we serve understand that their water comes from a variety of wide-ranging sources, as far away as the Eastern Sierras and as close as their backyards.”

The video series was made possible through generous funding provided by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.  Animation studio Epipheo also produced SCWC’s Recycled Water video series and a video encouraging California legislators to fund recycled water projects.

The post New Educational Video Highlights SoCal’s Water Supplies appeared first on Southern California Water Coalition.

The light-colored ring around Lake Mead shows the decreased water level from years of drought conditions on the Colorado River. The photo was taken on Feb. 16. The reservoir was formed by Hoover Dam and is considered one of the largest artificial lakes in the world with 750 miles of shoreline. The lake helps provide water for 25 million people in Nevada, Arizona, and California. The historic water shortage on the Colorado River will likely lead to mandatory water cutbacks. Photo Courtesy of the United States Bureau of Reclamation

You don’t need to be a fortune teller to predict what the future may hold for water availability in Southern California next year. The region’s limited imported supplies will prompt water officials to consider region-wide mandatory conservation measures should the ongoing drought continue.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s six-county service area normally relies on supplies from Northern California and the Colorado River to cover more than half of the region’s water demands. The ongoing drought has reduced supplies from Northern California over the last three years to historic low levels. And the Colorado River is facing its first-ever shortage condition, with a call by federal officials for river users to prepare for deeper cuts next year.

In response, Metropolitan staff has informed its Board of Directors that it is preparing ways to implement mandatory conservation across Southern California, if necessary. The board could consider actions as early as January.

“We need to prepare for this drought to continue,” said Metropolitan General Manager Adel Hagekhalil. “Even if the rains return, it will take a lot for the State Water Project system to recover, and the Colorado River will remain in a historic shortage condition. A region-wide response may prove necessary.”

Portions of the Metropolitan service area are already facing various mandatory conservation measures because constraints in Metropolitan’s distribution system and limited local supplies make them heavily dependent on extremely limited water deliveries from Northern California. Three consecutive years of low supplies from the State Water Project prompted Metropolitan to direct numerous local agencies starting last June to reduce demand. Those agencies are in parts of Los Angeles, Ventura, and San Bernardino counties, affecting six million people.

“We are working closely with these local agencies to manage through this challenge and develop plans to fast-track lasting solutions,” Hagekhalil said. “Even with these efforts, supplies will be limited until the State Water Project can deliver more water.”

While Southern California’s water challenges during this drought have most affected these areas, the worsening shortage on the Colorado River from a decades-long drought could prompt region-wide mandatory conservation as early as next year.

The federal Bureau of Reclamation declared the first-ever shortage condition for the river in August 2021. With storage levels continuing to decrease, Reclamation recently announced that additional cuts would be necessary in 2023. Those cuts have yet to be identified while Metropolitan continues to work with other water users in California, Arizona, and Nevada to negotiate a collaborative response.

In addition to pulling from its local reservoirs, Metropolitan has operated its Colorado River Aqueduct at nearly its full capacity to meet the region’s demands this year. In future years, that might not be possible.

Metropolitan staff informed the board earlier this summer that it would develop a plan to enforce mandatory conservation on its 26 member agencies next year, taking into account unique local circumstances. “We are planning for the worst and hoping for the best,” Hagekhalil said. “In the meantime, everyone can do their part by never wasting a drop of water.”

Metropolitan General Manager Adel Hagekhalil speaks at a news conference about water restrictions. He is flanked by the Metropolitan Board Chairwoman Gloria D. Gray, left, and Chief Operating Officer Deven Upadhyay.

Although all eyes are on water availability in 2023, Hagekhalil added that the region also must plan for the future and address climate change by increasing supply resiliency through infrastructure investments. “All options must be in our resource mix, from imported supplies, conservation, and recycling to local stormwater capture, recharging and remediating ground water basins and building storage. We also must improve our regional water system to move water across our service area to equitably meet future demands,” he said.

For more conservation tips, visit www.bewaterwise.com

Check out related What Matters Water TV and Podcast episodes to learn more:

• Episode #9 “A Collaborative Approach to Colorado River Management“
• Episode #8 “What’s Next for Metropolitan Water District” 
• Episode #1 “Interview with Adel Hagekhalil, GM of Metropolitan Water District”

At left, an aerial view of the South Fork of Lake Oroville in Butte County on Aug. 2. On this date, the storage was 1,440,432 reservoir acre-feet (AF), which is 41 percent of the total capacity. Lake Oroville is the largest reservoir in the State Water Project and it peaked this year at just over half its capacity. Above, 

The post Region-Wide Mandatory Water Conservation Possible in 2023 appeared first on Southern California Water Coalition.

We’re excited to share with you this important panel discussion on the collaborative approach to Colorado River management being taken by California water, tribal and community leaders.

On this special episode of What Matters Water TV + Podcast, our expert panel will talk about what is causing the crisis, how it’s affecting our state and others, and most importantly, what can be done to prevent it from getting worse. So please join us as we explore this important issue. 

Guests on this episode are Michael Cohen, Senior Associate, Pacific Institute; Adel Hagekhalil, General Manager, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California; Chris Harris, Executive Director, Colorado River Board of California; Sandy Kerl, General Manager, San Diego County Water Authority; Henry Martinez, General Manager, Imperial Irrigation District; David Palumbo, Deputy Commissioner – Operations, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; and Thomas Tortez, Jr., Tribal Chairman, Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians.

View the slides that Chris Harris uses to introduce the water supply issues on the Colorado River at this link: https://socalwater.org/wp-content/uploads/Chris-Harris-SCWC-Intro-Slides_DRAFT_10062022.pdf 

The post #9 – A Collaborative Approach to Colorado River Management appeared first on Southern California Water Coalition.

A Collaborative Approach to Colorado River Management | Un enfoque colaborativo para la gestión del río Colorado

The Colorado River is in crisis, creating serious challenges for water managers and the communities that rely upon it. Our panel of diverse stakeholders will discuss efforts to find collaborative solutions Basin-wide and how this could shape the future of Western water for years to come. This is the first in what is anticipated to be a series on the Colorado River.

El río Colorado está en crisis, creando serios desafíos para los administradores del agua y las comunidades que dependen de él. Nuestro panel de diversas partes interesadas discutirá los esfuerzos para encontrar soluciones colaborativas en toda la cuenca y cómo esto podría dar forma al futuro del agua occidental en los años venideros. Esta es la primera de lo que se anticipa será una serie sobre el río Colorado. Regístrese ahora para escuchar en español o inglés.

View the event flyer. This event has concluded and you may watch a recording of it on our What Matters Water TV + Podcast.

Speakers:

• Michael Cohen, Senior Associate, Pacific Institute
• Adel Hagekhalil, General Manager, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
• Chris Harris, Executive Director, Colorado River Board of California
• Sandy Kerl, General Manager, San Diego County Water Authority
• Henry Martinez, General Manager, Imperial Irrigation District
• David Palumbo, Deputy Commissioner – Operations, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
• Thomas Tortez, Jr., Tribal Chairman, Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians

Sponsors:

• Black & Veatch
• Richard Brady
• Imperial Irrigation District
• San Diego County Water Authority

The new webinar is part of SCWC’s “What Matters” webinar series, designed to provide online exchanges of best practices as water and power utilities, nonprofits, businesses and others grapple with changes to the way we live, work and deliver services. 

• County of San Bernardino
• Inland Empire Utilities Agency
• Irvine Ranch Water District
• Los Angeles County Public Works
• Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
• Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
• Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District
• West Basin Municipal Water District

The post Register for SCWC’s Colorado River Webinar appeared first on Southern California Water Coalition.

The post Join us for our January 21 Meeting and Luncheon appeared first on Southern California Water Coalition.

The fate of a sweeping plan to keep reservoirs along the Colorado River full enough to avoid triggering severe delivery cuts became uncertain in February when one of the river’s biggest water users delayed its approval. The Imperial Irrigation District sought $200 million in federal funding for restoration of the Salton Sea as a condition of its participation in the Drought Contingency Plan, which had been three years in the making.

Last July, SCWC devoted its Quarterly Luncheon to the long and storied history of the Salton Sea, a large inland lake sustained by irrigation runoff from the Imperial Valley. As farmland and irrigation runoff have decreased over time, the lake’s water quality has worsened and dust from the drying lake bed creates air quality issues. Restoration efforts got a $200 million boost from the passage of Proposition 68 in June 2018 but more funds are needed to ensure the successful implementation of the 10-year Salton Sea management plan released by state officials in 2017.

Salton Sea restoration efforts are critical and should be funded. But tying this funding to participation in the Drought Contingency Plan deal jeopardized efforts to stave off delivery cuts on the Colorado River that could affect the water supply for millions of Southern Californians. With no immediate federal funding on the horizon for the Salton Sea, Metropolitan Water District’s board of directors voted on March 12 to assume responsibility for leaving IID’s share of water supply in Lake Mead.

It was a vote that sent a clear message: the time is now to  .

SCWC applauds the Metropolitan board for its decision, which will advance the Drought Contingency Plan by helping to keep the Colorado River’s two largest reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, from reaching critically low levels. This means protection for a key component of the region’s water supply at a time when climate change, drought and growing demands create increased pressure on all sources of supply.

Metropolitan General Manager Jeff Kightlinger said it best: “This agreement is far too important to give up now. Seven states have worked together for years to reach this compromise and ensure a reliable water supply for the 40 million people and five million acres of farmland that rely on the Colorado River.” We couldn’t agree more.

When it comes to parties coming together to manage shared resources like the Colorado River, we believe that cooperative, voluntary approaches by those most affected are far more effective than top-down solutions and federal or state mandates. Metropolitan’s board did the right thing to assure water reliability as well as to protect water it has conserved and kept stored in Lake Mead, which might not have been available if severe delivery cuts had been triggered. Stay tuned for more and bigger negotiations, as 2020 is the year in which Colorado River water users must also begin a massive renegotiation of how the Colorado River is managed.

Charles Wilson
Executive Director
Southern California Water Coalition

The post Blog: MWD Board Protects SoCal’s Supply From the Colorado River appeared first on Southern California Water Coalition.