Environment |
Environmental investment
The US is funding repairs to ageing water delivery systems and dams, and protecting aquatic ecosystems in an effort to improve drought resilience
OVER THE NEXT FIVE years, US President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will allocate US$8.3 billion to the US Bureau of Reclamation’s water projects to repair ageing water delivery systems, secure dams, complete rural water projects, and protect aquatic ecosystems.
At the end of 2022, the US Department of the Interior announced that a US$84.7 million investment will help 36 communities throughout the West prepare and respond to the challenges of drought. “Drought resilience is more important now than ever as the West is experiencing more severe and longer droughts,” US Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton commented. Reclamation also says that it is working to address widening imbalances between water demand and supply in basins throughout the region, and is funding comprehensive water studies with other water managers to develop options that will achieve a sustainable water supply. It will help complete four basin studies in Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington. The following three basins were selected to conduct
full collaborative basin studies: ● The Great Salt Lake Basin Study covers over 93,000km2
Below: This illustration shows the upper and lower reservoirs proposed to generate electricity adjacent to the John Day Dam on the Columbia River as part of the proposed Goldendale Energy Storage Project
, including Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, and
Nevada. The basin is home to 2.6 million people, and over 1.5 million acres of farmland are irrigated with water stored in more than 1300 reservoirs. Currently, the Great Salt Lake Basin’s water level is in long-term decline, threatening billions of dollars in economic activity, a globally important ecosystem, local public health, air quality, and other critical values that the lake supports. In 2021, the basin fell below its historical low elevation. This study will
help water managers across all four states update and coordinate modelling efforts, engage a diverse set of stakeholders and public interests and identify mitigation and adaptation strategies to support sustainable management.
● The Walla Walla Basin is a biologically, hydrologically, and jurisdictionally complex watershed that extends across the border of Washington and Oregon and encompasses an area of 4500km2
. Insufficient flows and high
stream temperatures have stressed populations of several Endangered Species Act-listed fish and reintroduced spring Chinook salmon. Ensuring adequate water for farms, fish and people is a challenge, particularly in the summer months when demand for water is the highest and streamflow is naturally at its lowest. Collectively, water demands regularly exceed the available supply. Municipal demands are projected to grow while climate change is causing increased temperatures and varying hydrological conditions, exacerbating existing imbalances. This study will allow Reclamation and the cost-share partners, along with other stakeholders, to develop and evaluate options for an integrated approach to the management of water supplies and aquatic resources.
● The Big Wood River Basin Study includes the Big Wood River watershed as well as the Camas Creek watershed and the Little Wood River watershed, all located in the state of Idaho. Drought conditions in the study area have already impacted the available water supply for surface water users, which is expected to decrease. Over the past few decades, more efficient irrigation systems that rely on groundwater wells have continued to increase the depth-to-groundwater resulting in a reduction to instream flows downstream, impacting surface water availability for senior surface rights holders. The study seeks to develop an allocation model for surface and groundwater sources that could be used at the beginning of the irrigation season to allow water users to understand how to best utilise available supplies.
An additional fourth basin was selected to receive funding to develop a plan of study. The Dolores Water Conservancy District will complete a plan of study to understand the extent and consequences of water supply and demand imbalances, and how climate change will impact the Dolores Project, located in Colorado. After completion, the plan of study can be used to support an application for a full basin study which will address shortages in the Dolores Water Conservancy District, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and the downstream fishery. The plan of study will include the
32 | February 2023 |
www.waterpowermagazine.com
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