ESYS10 Case Study
Warmup
San Diego County
water resources
General
Water rights have always dominated politics in the Western U.S., and these past several years more than ever. Recently, the Department of the Interior decreed that California would receive 13% less Colorado River water than in previous years. This spurred fast action amongst California water resource agencies, and resulted in an historical agreement for transfer of water from the Imperial Valley, where it is primarily used for agriculture, to San Diego County. San Diego County's population is expected to grow 30% over the next 30 years.
Recognizing
the looming crisis in water resources over the next 20 years, the U.S.
Department of the Interior has started a Challenge Grants program that "provides
funding on a 50/50 cost share basis to irrigation and water districts for
projects focused on water conservation, efficiency, and water marketing."
(http://www.doi.gov/water2025/grant.html).
You
have been appointed to a committee that is writing a grant proposal for funding
to San Diego County through this program. Your predecessor committee was responsible for
finding funding for the Coachella Canal lining project (see editorial below).
Issues
"The California agencies that use Colorado River water
are working to reduce their reliance on the river. California currently takes
approximately 5.2 million acre feet (maf) per year, even though its entitlement
is only 4.4 maf. The primary vehicle for this effort is California's Colorado
Water Use Plan, which is designed to reduce California's demand on the river to
its 4.4 MAF apportionment when surplus water or other states' apportionment is
not available." (San Diego County Water Authority, Water Management,
http://www.sdcwa.org/manage/mwd-colriver.phtml, 1/6/05)
"In
October, ground was broken in the Imperial Valley for the relining of the
Coachella Canal, a project that will mean 26,000 acre-feet of water for San
Diego County. That's a bigger deal than it may sound, for relining this and a
section of the All-American Canal is only part of a landmark agreement to
transfer agricultural water, much of it formerly lost to seepage, to San
Diego."
"From
the relining alone, San Diego stands to gain enough water to supply more than
150,000 households a year. That's in addition to the supply for some 400,000
households a year which the water authority has the right to buy from the
Imperial Valley Irrigation District. With these hard-won supplies, San Diego
County acquires the independence from the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water
District that it has long sought.
"Also
in this deal are 800,000 acre-feet the state will buy from Imperial Valley,
then resell to the Metropolitan Water District to distribute in Southern
California. Profits will be used to help restore the Salton Sea. And all of
this water supply/sale/conservation intertwines with the demand of the federal
government that California reduce its overreliance on the Colorado River, the
source of these water supplies, or face cutoffs." (Editorial, San Diego Union
Tribune,12/26/04)
"... For instance, white pelicans were a rarity along the San Diego County coastline. But in the past few years, more and more have shown up on the Christmas bird count. The partial collapse of the fishery at the Salton Sea in Imperial County, where the pelicans have been more numerous, could be forcing the birds to forage for food in a wider area, Pryde said."..."San Diego County, with 494 species recorded over the past 50 years, usually ranks in the top 10 of counties nationwide. There are slightly more than 650 bird species in the United States." (Terry Rodgers, San Diego Union Tribune, 12/31/04)
Your committee includes:
Alex: a San Diego real estate developer (builder)
Bailey: agricultural agent for Imperial County
Chris: president of the San Diego Audubon Society
Dana: a San Diego County supervisor
Loren: a San Diego County Water Authority resource manager
A. Address the following
questions within your group:
1. What personal biases do you (personally) bring to the table?
2. What information do you (personally) need to represent your point of view?
3. What information do you need (as a group) to write a credible proposal?
4. Do you think you can reach consensus?
Please make sure to identify some issues that require scientific judgment.
B. In your cross-cut group
with similar roles, address the following:
1. What information do you need to represent your point of view?
2. Where would you start looking for this information?
Please make sure to identify some issues that require scientific judgment.
Assignment, due Tuesday:
1. Summarize the discussion in your group
2. Find at least one credible resource with information pertinent to your point of view
Useful initial websites:
Department of the Interior Water2025