HomeMy WebLinkAbout4-14-21_TACMeetingPresentationSustainable Management Criteria for GW levels decline
and Interconnected Surface Water
April 14, 2021
Ukiah Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency
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Exploratory Scenarios
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Exploratory/Informational Scenarios
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◼No Historical Supply
⚫We turned all diversion (Ag and Municipal) and
pumpage (Ag and Municipal) off.
⚫Reservoir release is assumed constant and equal to
historical releases.
⚫All other model input are held constant.
◼Business as usual:
⚫Equals our historical baseline
◼2x-Pumpage:
⚫We multiplied all pumpage (Ag and municipal) by 2.
⚫All SW diversions are equal to historical baseline.
⚫Reservoir release is assumed constant and equal to
historical releases.
⚫All other model input are held constant.
◼No Lake Mendocino Releases in Dry and
Critical years:
⚫Historical pumpage and diversions
⚫No releases to the East Fork in 2013-2015 WYs.
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GW Elevation Difference from Historical Baseline
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2x-Pumpage -Historical
Critical WY Type 2014 -Fall (September)
Difference in meters (~3ft)
No Supply -Historical No Release –Historical
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GW Elevation Difference from Historical Baseline
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2x-Pumpage -Historical
Above Normal WY Type 2016 -Fall (September)
Difference in meters (~3ft)
No Supply -Historical No Release –Historical
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River Leakage
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River Leakage
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Hopland Flow
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GW Elevation vs. Leakage and Streamflow
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Aug 2015
~ 2 cfs
14 ft
13 ft 15 ft
12 ft
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Gaining Losing Conditions of River
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2x-Pumpage
Critical WY Type 2014 -Fall (September)
Difference in meters (~3ft)
No Supply No ReleaseHistorical
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Gaining Losing Conditions of River
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Summer
Below Normal WY Type 2012
Change of River Gaining/Losing Conditions in a year
Winter FallSpring
River Losing to Aquifer
Dry River Segment
River Gaining from Aquifer
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Gaining Losing Conditions of River
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2x-Pumpage
Critical WY Type 2014 -Fall (September)
No Demand No ReleaseHistorical
River Losing to Aquifer
Dry River Segment
River Gaining from Aquifer
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Gaining Losing Conditions of River
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2x-Pumpage
Above Normal WY Type 2016 -Fall (September)
No Demand No ReleaseHistorical
River Losing to Aquifer
Dry River Segment
River Gaining from Aquifer
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Questions
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GOALS for today
1.Evaluate model results and scenarios: model can help to inform
decision on SMCs
2.Discuss strawman proposal for lowering groundwater levels and
depletion of interconnected surface water: possible option and
mutual impacts
3.We need to agree on the APPROACH, we can then refine the
numbers
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Exploratory scenarios analysis
◼Business as usual (historical)
◼No pumping-no diversion
◼2X pumping and normal diversion
◼Historical with no release from Lake Mendocino in dry and critical years
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SMC discussion: Groundwater Level Decline →OUR
STRAWMAN PROPOSAL based on the scenario results
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Hydrograph example
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600
605
610
615
620
625
630
635
640
391730N1232108W001
GW Elevation (ft)MT PT MO
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AquiferSite_Code Well_Name
Approximate
Distance to Russian
River (mi)
Buffer
(%)
Max Historical DTW
(ft)
X% of Max Historical DTW or 10'
(ft)
MT
(ft)
PT
(ft)
MO
(ft)
PT
(Spring Min)
(ft)
2 392962N1232047W001392962N1232047W001 0.30 10 57.8 5.8 63.6 57.8 17.5 13.6
2 392358N1232020W001392358N1232020W001 0.14 10 88.2 8.8 97.0 88.2 53.1 88.2
2 391730N1232108W00115N12W08L001M 0.98 20 30.1 6.0 36.1 30.1 26.4 25.3
2 391096N1231677W001391096N1231677W001 0.90 20 37.3 7.5 44.8 37.3 35.0 32.3
2 391285N1231607W001Ukiah Valley-34 1.60 20 22.7 4.5 27.2 22.7 21.5 12.1
2 391918N1232003W001Ukiah Valley-1 0.08 10 40.2 4.0 44.2 40.2 38.9 35.1
2 391918N1232003W002Ukiah Valley-2 0.08 10 49.9 5.0 54.9 49.9 47.7 45.6
2 391918N1232003W003Ukiah Valley-3 0.08 10 51.0 5.1 56.1 51.0 48.7 46.6
2 391918N1232003W004Ukiah Valley-4 0.08 10 52.0 5.2 57.1 52.0 49.6 47.9
2 391174N1231836W001Ukiah Valley-28 0.40 10 22.1 2.2 24.3 22.1 20.9 19.9
2 391411N1231983W002Ukiah Valley-37 0.85 20 57.9 10.0 67.9 57.9 50.1 57.9
2 391586N1232003W002Ukiah Valley-36 0.68 20 69.9 10.0 79.9 69.9 59.1 69.9
2 391860N1232039W001Ukiah Valley-15 0.18 10 24.0 2.4 26.4 24.0 22.8 20.8
2 392455N1231977W001Ukiah Valley-16 0.25 10 48.1 4.8 53.0 48.1 46.9 44.9
2 392455N1231977W002Ukiah Valley-17 0.25 10 93.4 9.3 102.8 93.4 92.1 93.4
2 392455N1231977W003Ukiah Valley-18 0.25 10 67.1 6.7 73.8 67.1 61.2 60.0
2 392572N1231906W001Ukiah Valley-9 0.75 20 40.3 8.1 48.3 40.3 37.2 22.5
2 T0604500280T0604500280 0.12 10 -----0.0
2 Ukiah WWTP-MW1Ukiah WWTP-MW1 0.22 10 -----0.0
2 South – Central #1(a)South – Central #1(a)0.35 10 -----0.0
2 North - Redwood Valley #1North - Redwood Valley #1 0.37 10 -----0.0
1 391918N1232003W001Ukiah Valley-1 0.08 10 40.2 4.0 44.2 40.2 38.9 44.2
1 391225N1231852W001Ukiah Valley-26 0.33 10 20.0 2.0 22.0 20.0 19.7 22.0
1 390664N1231491W001Ukiah Valley-32 0.24 10 24.8 2.5 27.3 24.8 23.8 27.3
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Undesirable results
◼Undesirable results: Significant and unreasonable chronic lowering of groundwater levels
occurs when such lowering threatens the long-term viability of domestic, agricultural,
municipal, or environmental users of groundwater.
◼Criteria to Define Undesirable Results
Significant and unreasonable Chronic Lowering of Groundwater Levels resulting from
groundwater extraction occurs when more than *25%* of representative monitoring wells
for groundwater levels and storage in the Basin fall below their MTs for *2* consecutive
years
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To be considered
◼How will these SMCs impact other Sustainability Indicators? And other beneficial users?
Will these SMCs for GW LEVELS be protective of them?
1.Well failure →quick calculation: if we go down 10 ft, about 10% of the wells in the basin may
go dry
2.GDEs →with the approach that we are suggesting GDE will not be impacted more than the
2015 conditions
3.Sustainability Indicators: Interconnected Surface Water Depletion
→If yes: we move forward and use model results and future PMAs (Projects
and management actions) to finalize MT numbers!!!
→If no: we need to reconsider the approach and reevaluate the numbers
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How do we reach the goal? PMAs!
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1. Forecasted well failure under a return to fall 2016 lows
well type n active n dry
domestic 276 6
agricultural 15 0
public 6 0
well type n active n dry
domestic 333 10
agricultural 19 0
public 10 0
31-year retirement age 40-year retirement age
~2%~3%
Land surface elevation
ft AMSL
Draft Forecasted well failure under a return to fall 2016 lows
minus 10 feet
well type n active n dry
domestic 261 15
agricultural 14 1
public 6 0
well type n active n dry
domestic 299 33
agricultural 18 1
public 10 0
31-year retirement age 40-year retirement age
~5%~9%
Land surface elevation
ft AMSL
Draft Forecasted well failure under a return to fall 2016 lows
minus 20 feet
well type n active n dry
domestic 251 25
agricultural 14 1
public 6 0
well type n active n dry
domestic 288 44
agricultural 18 1
public 10 0
31-year retirement age 40-year retirement age
~9%~12%
Land surface elevation
ft AMSL
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Implications for well protection measures
Fall 2016: $0.23 -0.32M well replacement costs*
Fall 2016 minus 10 feet: $0.42 –0.81M well replacement costs*
Fall 2016 minus 20 feet: $0.67 –1.1M well replacement costs*
*cost methodology based on (Pauloo et al, 2021)
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2. Impact to GDEs
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3. Impact to Interconnected Surface Water Depletion
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◼“Significant depletions of interconnected surface waters” means reductions in flow
or levels of surface water that is hydrologically connected to the basin such
that the reduced surface water flow or levels have a significant and
unreasonable adverse impact on beneficial uses of the surface water.
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First key component of the ISW SMC…
◼We need to provide a map of the surface water that will be considered
“INTERCONNECTED”
◼Based on our analysis of depth to groundwater and GDEs: the main stem of the Russian
river is considered CONNECTED for SGMA management
◼The tributaries are considered disconnected as most of them are ephemeral and dry
during most of summer
⚫To include tributaries as interconnected SW we need to collect more information to understand how
pumping (which is what the GSA can manage) really impacts the tributaries
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Interconnected Surface Waters
◼23 CCR §351(o)
“Interconnected surface
water” refers to surface
water that is hydraulically
connected at any point by
a continuous saturated
zone to the underlying
aquifer and the overlying
surface water is
not completely depleted.
Gaining
Losing disconnected
Losing connected
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Depletion of Interconnected Surface Water
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◼Russian River is connected to the
groundwater system.
◼Establishing groundwater inputs vs. surface
water inputs is challenging.
◼Effects of groundwater capture from pumping
and surface water diversions on the river flow
increases complexity.
◼Lack of high-quality data to establish
thresholds.
◼Should we consider an adaptive approach for
SMCs?
Management Action
Trigger to avoid the
MT
VOLUME OF STREAM
DEPLETION THAT Leads
to Undesirable Result
Ideal
operating
range
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Which METRIC can we use for ISW depletion?
◼Groundwater elevation as proxy FOR NOW
◼Streamflow and leakage estimates →we will have the transect data in 5 years!
◼Modified groundwater elevation proxy through gradient approach (EDF, 2018)
◼Volume of depletion calculated by the model: need better data to refine this
◼THIS IS THE APPROACH THAT WE SUGGEST:
ISW SMC= f(GWL) + f(Measured/Modelled GW contribution to the stream from transect
data)
→ADAPTIVE SMC →transect data and therefore a new SMC will be available for the 5
years update
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Draft
Which METRIC can we use for ISW depletion?
◼Groundwater elevation as proxy FOR NOW
◼Streamflow and leakage estimates →we will have the transect data in 5 years!
◼Modified groundwater elevation proxy through gradient approach (EDF, 2018)
◼Volume of depletion calculated by the model: need better data to refine this
◼THIS IS THE APPROACH THAT WE SUGGEST:
ISW SMC= f(GWL) + f(Measured/Modelled GW contribution to the stream from transect
data)
→ADAPTIVE SMC →transect data and therefore a new SMC will be available for the 5
years update
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Take away messages: what is reasonable?
◼The groundwater level MT leads to:
⚫No additional ISW depletion
⚫No additional loss of GDEs
⚫No land subsidence
⚫~x% well impacted (requiring rehabilitation)
◼Going lower than 2015, we need to prove that a lower MT will NOT cause significant and
unreasonable impacts to:
⚫interconnected surface water
⚫groundwater dependent ecosystems
⚫land subsidence
⚫domestic wells, agricultural wells, municipal wells
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Next step
◼Start providing written approaches to the SMCs for all the Sustainability Indicators in
Chapter 3: need to agree on the approach and we can continue the discussion on
refining the numbers
◼Development of future climate change scenarios
◼Development of more targeted and implementable PMAs scenarios: some of them can
be simulated with the model, other should just be described in Chapter 4
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Final questions?
Thank You!