U6115: Climate & WaterTuesday, July 26 2004

“If everything seems to be going well,Obviously you’ve

overlooked something!”

“If Barbie is so popular, why do you

have to buy her friends!

•Water for the worldWater for the world• An introduction to management issuesAn introduction to management issues• Global utilizationGlobal utilization• National to regional water managementNational to regional water management• NYC Case studyNYC Case study

Today: Water/Hydrology

““Access to safe water is a fundamental human need and, Access to safe water is a fundamental human need and, therefore, a basic human right.therefore, a basic human right.

Contaminated water jeopardizes both the physical and Contaminated water jeopardizes both the physical and social health of all people. It is an affront to human dignity” social health of all people. It is an affront to human dignity”

Kofi AnnanKofi Annan – UN Secretary-General on World Water Day – UN Secretary-General on World Water Day

Water: Counting every drop…

“Making prediction is very difficult, especially about the future” – Casey Stengel

Water scenarios: Projected and actual global withdrawals.From Gleick (2000): The World’s Water, 2000-2001

Continental Distribution

Continental Distribution

Water: Our U.S. Budget

Main loss (66%)

Humans (~2.5%)

Stream Flow (29%)

“North America’s abundant water resources represent 14% of the global renewable fresh water”

“North America’s abundant water resources represent 14% of the global renewable fresh water”

From Commission for Environmental Cooperation (2000):From Commission for Environmental Cooperation (2000):The North American MosaicThe North American Mosaic

in many areas of the US more water is withdrawn than is renewed* global warming* floods, hurricanes* groundwater and surface water contamination

Source: http://water.usgs.gov/watuse

Water utilization (withdrawals) in the U.S.

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Modified from http://water.usgs.gov/watuse/wuto.html

Source, use &disposition of water in the US, (1990)

Electricity production and irrigation are far and away the biggest water users in the country (48% and 34%)

Public supply is a distant third (11%) but has ceased to increase at the same rate as population growth

y = 0.6417x - 1237.2

R2 = 0.9951

y = 0.442x - 841.06

R2 = 0.982

y = 2.5915x - 4901.1

R2 = 0.9976

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Public Sup. (1950-1985)

Public Sup. (1985-2000)

Population

Public supply is a distant third (11%) but has ceased to increase at the same rate as population growth

y = 1.6282x - 3078.2

R2 = 0.975

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Gallons Per Capita per day (gpcd)1950-1985

1985-2000

The USGS reports that groundwater withdrawals have increased by 14% in the last 20 years decline in groundwater storage aquifers in some regions and diminishing streamflow (through lower base flows).

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Groundwater Withdrawals

Sfc Fresh

GW Fresh

“The problem of water is so severe that the United States will increasingly challenged to provide sufficient quantity of high-quality water to its growing population” - Envisioning the Agenda for Water Resourcecs Research in the 21st Century (NRC)

Many water expert say, however, that overall water supply is NOT the problem (with some regional exceptions), but rather management of that supply.

Although water is a national issue, there is no national platform in the U.S. from which to address this issue.

Water experts are now calling for a national commission of the form of the defunct Water Resource Council (WRC).

The case of the Colorado River.

The Colorado River.The Colorado River.

The Compact of 1922.The Compact of 1922.

The Colorado River.The Colorado River.

Discharge - Colorado River

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10/1/2110/1/2510/1/2910/1/3310/1/3710/1/4110/1/4510/1/4910/1/5310/1/5710/1/6110/1/6510/1/6910/1/7310/1/7710/1/8110/1/8510/1/8910/1/9310/1/9710/1/01

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Discharge - Colorado River

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Date

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Discharge

The Colorado River.The Colorado River.According to the Colorado Compact, the seven States are responsible for determining how their shares are to be used.

However, the Compact is an agreement ratified by Congress and thus carries the weight of Federal Law.

Federal government is responsible for:

- managing reservoirs (Bureau of Reclamation),- meeting international agreements (U.S. Dept. of Interior),- protecting and restoring endangered species (Fish and Wildlife),- navigation and flood control (Arm. Corps of Engineers),- water quality (EPA).

“Making predictions…”

Water scenario: Regional management modelWater scenario: Regional management model

Aquiferrecharge

Pass through needsfor estuaries

“Making predictions…”

Water scenario: Regional management modelWater scenario: Regional management model

South Texas CB - Demand/Capita/Year (Predictions)

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Demand/Capita (m3/yr)

“Making predictions…”

Water scenario: Regional management modelWater scenario: Regional management model

South Texas CB - Demand/Capita/Year (Predictions)

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Water Demand (10

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“Making predictions…”

Water scenario: Regional management modelWater scenario: Regional management model

South Texas Reservoir System (Year 2000-2001)

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%Capacity

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Streamflow variability

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

“Making predictions…”

Water scenario: Regional management modelWater scenario: Regional management model

Aquiferrecharge

proposed

Mary Rhodes pipeline

The case for water quality!“If I die, I will die, but I will not fetch water from another man’s house” –

Bangladeshi villager

The case for water quality!“If I die, I will die, but I will not fetch water from another man’s house” –

Bangladeshi villager

• Arsenic is conservative (high during drought intensive periods!)

• Desalination expensive and exacerbate hypersalinity of lagoons

• Groundwater Bangladesh anyone?

The case for water quality!“If I die, I will die, but I will not fetch water from another man’s house” –

Bangladeshi villager

Water for NYC

On 4 July 1842, New York City celebrated the opening of the world's first long-distance urban water supply aqueduct since the Roman Empire. The city's population had quadrupled since 1800 (from 60,000 to 250,000) and was wracked by chronic water shortages, outbreaks of cholera, and recurrent fires

Source: “A Full, Clean Glass?” Platt et al., 2000

Water for NYCThe Croton system today provides ~10% of the city’s water needs. The rest is provided by the Catskill watersheds and its reservoir systems:

The Eastern “Catskill” system provides 40% of the city’s water . The Western “Delaware” system provides the remaining 50%.

These two systems were developed between 1900-1960 (particularly the Delaware system which came online during the 1960s drought period)

Source: “A Full, Clean Glass?” Platt et al., 2000

Changes in land use:

Modeled changes in land use across NY metro region(Work carried out by William Solecki, Chris Small, and colleagues)

1990s Observed 2050s Projected

1997 Memorandum of Understanding (MOA)On 21 January 1997, New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Governor George Pataki, and a host of governmental and environmental cosigners entered into an epic Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). A product resulting from years of negotiation, the MOA established a legally enforceable compact under which the city would spend up to a billion dollars over 10 years to maintain and protect the high quality of water derived from its WOH reservoirs indefinitely into the future. Its objective is to satisfy the stringent requirements of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act through watershed management rather than by constructing a filtration plant for its WOH sources at even greater expense.

The 1997 New York City Watershed MOA is a unique document in the history of water resource management. It provides for an extraordinary financial and legal commitment from New York City to prevent existing and potential contaminants from reaching reservoirs; to monitor a broad range of water quality and drinking parameters; to conduct new research on public health and water quality; and to promote sustainable economic development and social wellbeing in the Catskill/Delaware watershed communities.

Source: “A Full, Clean Glass?” Platt et al., 2000

NRC Recommendations1) The first conclusion noted that the New York City watershed management program should place importance first on microbial pathogens, second on organic precursors of disinfection byproducts (DBPs), third on phosphorus, and fourth on turbidity and sediment.

2) The second conclusion of the NRC committee is that the concept of balancing watershed rules and regulations with targeted support of watershed community development is a reasonable strategy for New York City and possibly other water suppliers. The committee feels that the MOA adequately considers both private property rights and the economic, social, and political concerns of watershed residents.

3) As its third recommendation, the committee encourages New York City and all other water suppliers to be receptive to the possibility of additional water treatment options (pollution control)

4) Lastly, the committee recommended that New York City should lead in efforts to quantify the contribution of watershed management to the overall risk reduction from waterborne pollutants.

Source: “A Full, Clean Glass?” Platt et al., 2000

Source: Ming Fang Ting (pers. Comm.)

Concluding Thought

And after you’ve “heard” this story of great misfortunes, you will no doubt dine well, blaming the author for your own insensitivity, accusing him of wild exaggeration and flights of fancy. But rest assured: this tragedy is not a fiction. All is true”

•Honoré de Balzac