March 21, 2003

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Orange County’s Water Story:

Regional Water Issues and the Import Supply

Stan SpragueGeneral Manager

Municipal Water District of Orange County

Santiago Canyon College Managerial Issues Class

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Chapter 1

Once upon a time...

Water supply development in Orange County

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...at the turn of the last century,

Early settlements near surface water streams

Later development depended on groundwater

By turn of the century, settlers were outpacing nature’s ability to replenish

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…LA turns to Owens Valley

Development of L.A. Aqueduct

Access for others came at the price of annexation to Los Angeles

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Others turn to the

Colorado...

Metropolitan Water District formed in 1928 to provide imported water to Southern California• Anaheim, Santa Ana, Fullerton were original

members• Coastal MWD formed in 1941• MWD of Orange County formed in 1951

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Meanwhile, Orange County shores up rights on the

Santa Ana River Orange County Water District (OCWD)

formed in 1933 to file lawsuit to litigate rights vs. upstream diverters

Availability of import water leads to agency taking preeminent role in groundwater management

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Eventually, we all look north

SWP authorized by voters in 1960

First water delivered in early ‘70s

Contractually agreed to 2 MAF/year to Southern California

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Local Supplies Local Supplies Groundwater & RecyclingGroundwater & Recycling

Where Southern CaliforniaWhere Southern CaliforniaGets its Water TodayGets its Water Today

Local SuppliesLocal SuppliesLA AqueductLA Aqueduct

Conservation Conservation

Colorado River Colorado River AqueductAqueductSWP SWP

Entitlement Entitlement

Transfers & StorageTransfers & Storage

3

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Chapter Two

Who is the Municipal Water District of Orange County?

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MWD of Orange County is...

Wholesale water supplier for Orange County Governed by 7-member elected board 30 retail agencies Among the largest of Metropolitan’s member

agencies Service area of 600 square miles Service area population of 2 million Four (4) directors appointed to Metropolitan

board

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MWD of Orange Countyexists to...

Coordinate and plan local water management programs in Orange County

Secure a reliable supply of imported water

Represent local retail agencies that provide water directly to homes and businesses

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MWD of Orange Countyas Planner…

Initiated and Manages South Orange County Reliability Study• Will make recommendations for both system

and supply reliability improvements• Implementation will be cooperative effort

Analyzes data and trends and coordinates projects and programs with retail providers throughout the county

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MWD of Orange Countyas Advocate…

Represents water agencies and cities Influences and helps develop policies

• at Metropolitan• at local government level• at State & Federal levels

Works with other Orange County water providers

Helps to secure funding for local agency projects

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MWD of Orange Countyas Service Provider…

Water-Use Efficiency Programs School Education Water Emergency Response Orange

County (WEROC) Water-related legislative tracking, analysis

and advocacy

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Chapter Three

Traditional Imported Sources Challenged

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Our County’s Supplies

Orange County depends on imported water for almost half of its total supply• 48% groundwater• 46% imported through Metropolitan from

Colorado River Aqueduct and State Water Project (Northern California)

• 4% recycled water• 2% local surface water

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Challenges for Orange County’s traditional

imported water sources... Questions about water rights and

surplus availability Increasing environmental regulations

and restrictions Water quality concerns, i.e. impacts of

salinity and organic compounds require greater treatment levels, and hamper recycling and groundwater uses

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Colorado River issues Metropolitan has high priority entitlement to

approximately 700,000 AF Additional 500,000 AF annually comes from

surpluses Arizona & Nevada now taking full shares,

other states wary, drought conditions continue to worsen

Interior Secretary declares no surplus water in 2003

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Immediate concerns …

California’s inability to agree to a plan to reduce its take of surplus water over 15 years

Immediate cutbacks on surplus supplies eliminated “soft landing” option

Southern California will now only receive an 800,000 AF allocation in 2003

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Long-term concerns …

Over allocation Growth in other basin states Native American lawsuits Mexico Water quality concerns

• Perchlorate• Moab tailings• Salinity

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Challenges to Northern

California water San Francisco Bay/

Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta

• Hub of State’s water system• Degraded ecosystem• Poor water quality• Supply impacted by endangered species• Early 90s drought, regulatory actions create

crisis

StateWaterProject

Los Angeles Aqueduct

Sacramento

Colorado River Aqueduct

San Francisco

Los Angeles

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Challenges to Northern California water

Struggle is to maintain what we have Historical annual supplies to exporters

from the Bay-Delta have been cut by 25% due to federal actions

Future regulatory actions threaten to cut supplies by another 25%

This year, State can only promise 45% (approximately 900,000 AF)

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CALFED Bay-Delta Program

CALFED Bay-Delta Program to the rescue• Joint state-federal consortium formed in 1994

• California Bay-Delta Authority created in January 2003

Collaborative, non-regulatory process to fix problems in the Delta

Implementation of Record of Decision Reduce conflict among stakeholders

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Endangered Species ActProtected Species in the Delta

Endangered Species ActProtected Species in the Delta

Delta SmeltDelta Smelt1993 - Threatened1993 - ThreatenedDelta SmeltDelta Smelt1993 - Threatened1993 - Threatened

Sacramento SplittailSacramento Splittail1999 - Threatened1999 - ThreatenedSacramento SplittailSacramento Splittail1999 - Threatened1999 - Threatened

SteelheadSteelhead1998 - Threatened1998 - ThreatenedSteelheadSteelhead1998 - Threatened1998 - Threatened

1989 - Winter-Run Threatened1989 - Winter-Run Threatened

1994 - Winter-Run Endangered1994 - Winter-Run Endangered

1999 - Spring-Run Threatened1999 - Spring-Run Threatened

1989 - Winter-Run Threatened1989 - Winter-Run Threatened

1994 - Winter-Run Endangered1994 - Winter-Run Endangered

1999 - Spring-Run Threatened1999 - Spring-Run Threatened

Chinook SalmonChinook SalmonChinook SalmonChinook Salmon

Green SturgeonGreen Sturgeon2001 - Petitioned for listing2001 - Petitioned for listingGreen SturgeonGreen Sturgeon2001 - Petitioned for listing2001 - Petitioned for listing

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CALFED’s CALFED’s Ecosystem Ecosystem

AccomplishmentsAccomplishments

CALFED’s CALFED’s Ecosystem Ecosystem

AccomplishmentsAccomplishments

Status: 382 new projects382 new projects

$398 million$398 million

100,000 acres new wetlands100,000 acres new wetlands

17 new fish screens17 new fish screens

10 diversion dams removed10 diversion dams removed

Status: 382 new projects382 new projects

$398 million$398 million

100,000 acres new wetlands100,000 acres new wetlands

17 new fish screens17 new fish screens

10 diversion dams removed10 diversion dams removed

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0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000

Delta Smelt Fall Midwater Trawl IndexDelta SmeltDelta Smelt

Nearing Recovery!Nearing Recovery!

Environmental Gains Fishery Recovery – It’s Working!

Environmental Gains Fishery Recovery – It’s Working!

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# of

Fish

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

1981 20011986 1991 1996

Dam removed

New fish ladder

3 new fish screens & ladders3 dams removed

Environmental Gains Fishery Recovery – It’s Working!

Environmental Gains Fishery Recovery – It’s Working!

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0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

Winter Run Chinook Salmon Adult Female Spawner Escapement

Current take limit is 15 times higher than initiallyCurrent take limit is 15 times higher than initially

Winter-Run Chinook SalmonWinter-Run Chinook Salmon

Environmental Gains Fishery Recovery – It’s Working!

Environmental Gains Fishery Recovery – It’s Working!

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What CALFED could mean to

Orange County’s future Hope for some long-term regional relief

• Improved water quality• More certainty = Better local resource

management and planning

Expansion of local projects• CALFED won’t necessarily result in more water • Limited imported supplies means local agency

projects will become increasingly critical

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Chapter Four

The Local Story

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Where does this leave us?

Current total demand on Metropolitan is 2.0 MAF per year

Expected to marginally increase over next 10 years

Supply reliability to So. Cal. projected to be fairly stable over next 10 years (if no surprises)

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Local reliability issues emerge

South County - 500,000 residents - depend on two major pipelines and single treatment plant for 90% of their water service

One of two main MWD pipelines feeding South County damaged in December 1999

OCWD proposes lowering pumping percentage to deal with overdraft of groundwater basin

Reliability of the water supply and delivery network is a top priority for all

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Orange County’s Population Growth

North and SouthPopulation (millions)1990: 1.892000: 2.182010: 2.302020: 2.36

NORTH

20-Year Growth: 0.18 (8%)

SOUTH

Population (millions)1990: 0.512000: 0.682010: 0.792020: 0.87

20-Year Growth:

0.19 (28%)

TOTAL

20-Year Growth

0.37 million (13%)

Newport Beach

Tustin

Rancho Santa Margarita

Anaheim

Fullerton

Santa Ana

Huntington BeachIrvine

Laguna Niguel

San Clemente

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Orange County’s Water Consumption

North and SouthWater Use (acre-feet)2002: 549,0002025: 634,000Additional Demand: 85,000 (15%)

NORTH

SOUTHWater Use (acre-feet)2002: 134,0002025: 180,000Additional Demand: 46,000 (34%)

TOTAL O.C.

Additional Demand

131,000 (19%)

Tustin

Rancho Santa Margarita

Anaheim

Fullerton

Santa Ana

Huntington BeachIrvine

Laguna Niguel

San Clemente

Newport Beach

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Where will additional supplies come from?

Santa Ana River/Groundwater Basin Groundwater Replenishment System

(GWRS) Metropolitan Import / Water Transfers Water Use Efficiency Water Recycling Colored water treatment (MCWD, IRWD) Other local supplies Ocean desalination

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Orange County Reliability Study

Started looking at system & supply reliability • Focus on South Orange County

How to meet demands with major facility/system outages Evaluate alternative supply options, including ocean

desalination

Second Phase to be completed July 2003• Highlights projects/programs for system and supply

reliability Ocean Desalination Central Pool Augmentation Regional Storage Water Use Efficiency Expanded interconnections

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Where are we headed?Water Reclamation:

•Dual plumbing systems (IRWD)

• Expanding usage from agricultural to urban

• Irrigation of medians, open space, etc.

• Brackish water desalination

•Upstream Santa Ana River Watershed

• Irvine Ranch Water District

• City of Tustin

• San Juan Basin

• South Coast Water District

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What have we been doing?

Water Use Efficiency:

•$6-7 million spent on WUE programs annually

•Collaborative partnerships between:

•MWDOC, OCWD, OCSD, MWD & Local retail agencies

•U.S. Bureau of Reclamation & EPA

•County of Orange

•State of California

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What have we been doing?

Water Use Efficiency:•300,000 ULFT toilets have been installed (10,000 AF/year savings)

•270,000 showerheads have been installed (1,500 AF/year savings)

•3,250 clothes washers have been installed (43 AF/year savings)

•Computer controlled irrigation system retrofits (8,500 AF/year savings)

•Weather Based Controllers (Estimated 37-57 GPD savings)

•5,000 controllers will be installed beginning in summer 2003

•Funding through Proposition 13, Metropolitan and local agencies

•Overall WUE savings = 10-15%

*Savings based on lifespan of fixtures/controllers

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What have we been doing?

Water Use Efficiency:

•Industrial Water Use•MWD overseeing rebate/retrofit programs ($500,000/year)

•Studies needed to determine how to recapture industrial processed water for reuse (cooling towers, recycling systems in die plants, etc.)

•Landscape Performance Certification Program•Develop landscape irrigation budgets for more than 12,000 landscape meters

•Technical workshops offered

•Annual water savings of 12,000–24,000 AF ($5.4–$10.8 million)

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Ocean Desalinationin Orange County

Pre-development work for Ocean Desalination Plant in Dana Point• Submitted to Metropolitan on June 28, 2002

Poseidon Ocean Desalination Plant in Huntington Beach - 50 MGD• EIR is being completed by HB• MWDOC is assisting two of its agencies, Santa

Margarita WD and Southern California WC with implementation of necessary agreements to access water

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Struggle to maintain current imported supply means we must make the most of what we have

Local options: • Water Recycling• Water Transfers• Conjunctive Use• Water Conservation• Desalination

Local delivery network must be reliable

Coming full circle

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Questions?

Stan Sprague(714) 963-3058