1. Southern California Water Dialogue
July 28, 2010
The Colorado River: Helping Metropolitan
Navigate Through a Water Supply Crisis
Bill Hasencamp
Manager, Colorado River Resources
Metropolitan Water District of
Southern California

2. Urban Southern California’s Water Supply (w/capacity)
LAKE
SHASTA
LOS ANGELES
AQUEDUCTS
(0.5 MAF)
LAKE
OROVILLE
Bay-Delta
COLORADO RIVER
AQUEDUCT
(1.25 MAF)
Updated with values from the January 2003 Ag Expo slide.
STATE WATER
PROJECT (2.0 MAF)
LOCAL
2.0 MAF
METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT SERVICE AREA

3. Overview of Presentation
MWD’s Evolving View of Colorado River
1940s – 2002: The Boom Years
2003 – 2007: The Hard Landing
2008 – 2010: Responding to Crisis
Current Challenges Facing the River
Using Trust Fund monies, Needles would be responsible for:
-constructing Stage 2 of the Project to increase Project capacity to 10,000 acre-feet per year,
-conducting studies to forecast the future salinity of Project water and assessing potential solutions should the salinity be projected to exceed the threshold,
-implementing a solution to reduce the salinity of Project water, or acquiring a less expensive alternative supply to replace Project water, and
-defraying any incremental increase in operation, maintenance, replacement, and administration costs necessary to operate and maintain the solution to reduce salinity.

4. 1940s – 2002: “The Boom Years”

5. Colorado River Apportionments (Million acre-feet)
Upper Basin States
Lower Basin States
1.71
2.8 .3
1.04
3.86
4.4
.84
1.5
.05
.39
.80
2.4 .2
5.1
.49
1.8
2.5
.02
Apportionments
Deliveries in 1990s
Mexico

7. California’s 7-Party Agreement For Colorado River Water
4.4
CA Apport.
San Luis Reservoir (SWP Carryover Storage): ,000
CRA: ,000
SWP: 1,408,000
Total: ,251,000
Surplus over 1.7 MAF demand ,000

8. California’s Plan to Reduce Colorado River Use
Reduce Agricultural Demand
Fund Water Conservation Programs
Land Fallowing Programs
Keep Colorado River Aqueduct Full
Full Surplus when Lake Mead > 1145’ (62% of cap.)
Plan Allows “Boom Years” to Continue

9. Colorado River Aqueduct Supplies
maf
1.4
1.2
Storage and Conjunctive Use
Surplus When Available
Surplus
1.0
PVID Program
Coachella Canal Lining
All-American Canal
0.8
IID-SDCWA Transfer
0.6
IID-MWD Conservation
0.4
This slide shows how the various components of the Colorado River Water Use Plan will contribute toward keeping Metropolitan’s Colorado River Aqueduct full. The various transfers will scale up during the 15 year period of the Interim Surplus Guidelines and will be fully in place at the end of this period.
LCWSP
0.2
Other Programs
Basic
0.0
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020
2025
2030
Year

10. 2003 – 2007: “The Hard Landing”

12. Overnight Water Supply Crash
Cutback Began Jan. 1, 2003
2002 Available Supply:
1,250,000 Acre-feet
Initial Approved Supply 2003:
513,000 Acre-feet

13. Diverse Supplies Help MWD Manage CRA Cutback
SWP
Storage and Transfers

14. 2008 – 2010: “The Crisis”

15. Delta Fisheries A Downturn for Delta Smelt & Salmon

16. Recent Regulatory Restrictions Causing Supply Cutbacks to State/Fed Contractors
2.5 million AF (40%)
Regulations Avg. Yr. * Critical Yr. * Above Normal Yr. **
Delta Smelt (Courts) ,000 af 330,000 af 1,260,000 af
Delta Smelt (USFWS) ,000 af 120,000 af 1,110,000 af
Longfin Smelt (DFG) af af af
Chinook Salmon (NMFS) ,000 af 60,000 af ,000 af
TOTAL 1,530,000 af (27%) 510,000 af (19%) 2,550,000 af (39%)
SWRCB D-1641 Baseline = 5.7 maf (average yr); 2.7 maf (critical yr); 6.5 maf (above normal yr)
* MWD’s “Most Likely” USFWS Delta Smelt scenario assumed
** MWD’s “High Impact” USFWS Delta Smelt scenario assumed

17. Responding to Crisis: New Partnerships
Southern Nevada Water Agency
Arizona Groundwater Storage Program
Desert Water Agency
Coachella Valley Water District
Palo Verde I.D.
IID Conservation
Yuma Desalting Plant
AAC Lining

19. 2010 Colorado River Aqueduct Supplies MWD Basic Apportionment
IID-SDCWA Transfer
All American & Coachella Canal Lining
PVID Fallowing Program
IID-MWD Conservation
Drop 2 Reservoir/YDP
Arizona Stored Water
Nevada Exchange
Projecting to divert approximately 1.1 MAF.

20. Challenges Facing Colorado River

24. QSA Lawsuit CA judge invalidated QSA
Transfers will continue through appeals process
Federal officials to honor federal agreements
Using Trust Fund monies, Needles would be responsible for:
-constructing Stage 2 of the Project to increase Project capacity to 10,000 acre-feet per year,
-conducting studies to forecast the future salinity of Project water and assessing potential solutions should the salinity be projected to exceed the threshold,
-implementing a solution to reduce the salinity of Project water, or acquiring a less expensive alternative supply to replace Project water, and
-defraying any incremental increase in operation, maintenance, replacement, and administration costs necessary to operate and maintain the solution to reduce salinity.

25. Salton Sea at Center of QSA Lawsuit
Using Trust Fund monies, Needles would be responsible for:
-constructing Stage 2 of the Project to increase Project capacity to 10,000 acre-feet per year,
-conducting studies to forecast the future salinity of Project water and assessing potential solutions should the salinity be projected to exceed the threshold,
-implementing a solution to reduce the salinity of Project water, or acquiring a less expensive alternative supply to replace Project water, and
-defraying any incremental increase in operation, maintenance, replacement, and administration costs necessary to operate and maintain the solution to reduce salinity.

26. Salton Sea Restoration/Mitigation
Salton Sea becoming too salty for fish
DWR’s preferred restoration alternative
$ 9 Billon
$200 million/yr
QSA addressed mitigating transfer impacts

27. Binational Agreement on Shortages
2007 Guidelines for shortages only applied to United States
Shortages to Mexico to be determined later
Reclamation and States developing comprehensive binational proposal
Using Trust Fund monies, Needles would be responsible for:
-constructing Stage 2 of the Project to increase Project capacity to 10,000 acre-feet per year,
-conducting studies to forecast the future salinity of Project water and assessing potential solutions should the salinity be projected to exceed the threshold,
-implementing a solution to reduce the salinity of Project water, or acquiring a less expensive alternative supply to replace Project water, and
-defraying any incremental increase in operation, maintenance, replacement, and administration costs necessary to operate and maintain the solution to reduce salinity.

28. Crisis in Mexico: April 5, 2010

38. Mexico and U.S. Discussing Short-term Agreement
May allow Mexico to store water in U.S. Reservoirs
May allow Mexico to sell water to U.S. to fund infrastructure repair
May allow partnerships for new water management programs
Attempting to reach agreement in next 90 days

39. Summary
CA has adapted to living with less water in a way to meet the state’s needs
Several challenges continue:
Drought
Climate Change
Binational Issues
States have a track record of working successfully together to confront issues

40. Bill Hasencamp 213-217- 6520 whasencamp@mwdh2o.com