Water Census Progress: DRB Focus Area Perspective Bob Tudor Deputy Director Delaware River Basin Commission

Delaware River Watershed Facts Over 15 million people (about 5% of the U.S. population) rely on the waters of the basin Drains 13,539 mi², or 0.4 of 1% of the continental U.S. land area Longest undammed river east of the Mississippi Daily water withdrawal in the DRB = 8.7 BGD

Water supply for over 15 million people Four states + NYC - Supreme Court Decree 1931/1954 DRBC 1961 Keep the flow up to keep the salt front down. Decree Party Reservoir Release Program  Ecological water needs  Flood mitigation  Flow targets Water Supply

Photos Courtesy NYC DEP

1960’s Maximum Salt Line (250 mg/l, 7 day avg) Normal R.M. 77 Data for determination provided by the U.S. Geological Survey and Kimberly Clark Corp. Water Supply Intakes RM 110

Unique Resource Exceptional water quality High ecological diversity ~75% of the non-tidal river is part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System  Upper & Middle in 1978  Lower in 2000

DRBC’s Charge Manage water resources w/out regard for political boundaries Regulate water quantity (equitably allocate, maintain streamflow) and water quality Plan (e.g., Basin Plan 2004; Periodic State of the Basin Reports 2008/2013) Coordinate between federal, state & local governments and private entities w/ role in managing water resources Educate the Basin community about water resources

Sustainable Water Resources – 2060 Will DRB Have Enough Water ? Population – Change and Location Energy Generation – Water Footprint Ecological Flows Natural Gas Development? Point and Non-Point Pollution Climate Change  Sea level rise, intense storms, droughts

Focused Water Availability Assessments State, Local, Regional Stakeholder Involvement Surface Water Trends, Precipitation, etc Defined Technical Questions to be Answered Eco Flows Water Use Water Quality Groundwater Resources Global Change

Goals of the Delaware River Basin Focus Area Study Acquisition, management, and integration of improved water-use and water-supply data Development of a hydrologic watershed model to evaluate water stressors such as population growth, land-use change, and climate variability on water resources in the basin. Development of ecological-flow science  Enhancement of the existing Decision Support System for parts of the main-stem Delaware River  Defining relations between streamflow processes and aquatic assemblage responses in tributaries.

Water Use: Aggregated Withdrawal Estimates By 12-digit subbasin Annual average (not monthly or seasonal) Surface water and groundwater Based on category  Self-supplied domestic  Irrigation  Livestock  Aquaculture  Mining 12-digit subbasins Acquisition

WATER – A decision support tool Precipitation Record or Forecast Hydrograph Potential Climate Change Water Availability Long-term Flow Record Current Conditions Ungaged Streams Current Condition Gaged Streams Landscape Characterization Land Management and Water Allocation

Reservoirs and Routing Initial work focusing on basin areas upstream of reservoirs. Eventually: WATER export to OASIS Use OASIS decision points for routing of basins

Water Use Coordination and Integration Models – Data delivery USGS GIS group Data warehouse StreamStats Ecological Water Integration

Objectives for the Water Census: To place technical information and tools in the hands of managers and stakeholders, allowing them to answer two primary questions about water availability: Does the Nation have enough freshwater to meet both human and ecological needs? Will this water be present to meet future needs?

Data Compilation Water Use  Compile use, transfer, loss, and return flow information  Develop information on industrial, commercial, electric, agriculture, and other uses  Break out monthly use information by 12 digit HUCs  Transfer information to data warehouse Develop Multi-use Data Sets  GIS – Land use, streams, topography, soils  Stream flow at gaged sites  Precipitation, snow, and temperature Ecology  Compile Invertebrate and Fish data  Main-stem LIDAR and SAV data acquisition WATER Streamflow Model  Future Land Use Change estimates

18 Water Withdrawals, Major Exports and Consumptive Use in the DRB